Civil Wars
by Relena for President
Summary: A.C. 210. Four years after the end of his marriage, Heero Yuy finds himself on a familiar, destructive path. Will it lead to redemption, or pure revenge? [1xR/broken pairing]
1. Prologue: This Time Tomorrow

**Gundam Wing: Civil Wars**

 _Even the perfect soldier can be broken. There was always one who held the power to destroy him._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing. But if I did... Oh, buddy.

 _A/N: Okay, guys. Here goes nothing._

 _\- RFP_

 **Prologue:**

 **This Time Tomorrow**

* * *

It was the night before they were supposed to sign the papers.

Relena had agreed to meet Heero in his new apartment in Brussels - neutral territory - to finalize their terms. He was grateful they were having this talk in person, without lawyers, although both of theirs would be present tomorrow. An event that, Heero didn't need the knot in the pit of his stomach to remind him, he was not looking forward to.

She arrived right on time, looking polished as ever, not a hair out of place. Her eyes skimmed over him as he stood in the open doorway, and he caught her glimpse of disapproval. He had lost weight, he knew, but it was his own fault for barely eating. He hadn't slept, either, for what felt like weeks.

Relena swept past him and into his living room, draping her coat over the arm of his sofa. She lingered in front of it without sitting down, her arms folded, looking at him expectantly.

"So…"

He cleared his throat around a lump that was forming and opened his mouth to speak, but it was dry. Instead he crossed the room wordlessly and folded himself into the armchair facing her. She sat, too, her eyes flitting up to his. Her lips twitched in a familiar way, and his eyes seized on the movement. Unconsciously he leaned forward, their knees just shy of brushing together. She backed up on the couch and clasped both hands in front of her.

"So," she continued, and he wondered if she was nervous. He used to be able to read her but over time she'd managed to erect a barrier between them. Her face was a mask and he had to wonder if her new life without him involved military training, or poker games. She was far more composed than he was, for a change. He was trembling, desperate, rocked to the core, and he sensed she could still sift him with that knowing stare. But like any soldier surveying a corpse on the battlefield, her gaze merely flicked over him. Her thoughts were somewhere else.

"How about a drink?" he suggested, just so he had something to say. She nodded and he bolted up, feeling a moment's respite from the tension that had him in a vice grip. He managed to pour the whiskey without sloshing any, despite his shaking hands, all the while reprimanding himself for becoming so sloppy. Lack of food, lack of sleep were deprivation tactics, acts of torture. Warfare. He was waging war on himself.

He returned to her and handed her the glass of amber liquid, and watched as she took a practiced sip. He wanted to down the entire contents of his glass like a shot, but he mimicked her movements. Even the sight of her lips touching his glass was maddening, a cruel reminder of things that were, that would never be again. Could he force himself to sit so near to her without closing the distance between them, to try to seal the rift that tore through his soul? In the small space her arms beckoned to him, a familiar harbor. She had always offered him comfort there. She had turned to him for strength and, now, his was gone.

He sat as still as he could and continued to watch her closely, memorizing the lines of her face as if he would never see her again. A foolish notion because of course, he would. As soon as tomorrow. But tonight was the end of _this,_ and tomorrow marked the start of something else. Their future, apart. They had been staying apart the past few months, but their separation wasn't yet official. This would make it permanent. Permanent, like their union was supposed to be. Their vows had said something about "till death do us part," but it was all just a joke in the end. The words they'd sworn to one another turned out to be nothing but that- words. Promises that could be so easily reduced into some vague collection of letters etched together by other people. Two people that they weren't, any more.

 _Soulmates._ They had often heard that term bandied about, usually by other people. That or _starcrossed._ The latter seemed to fit them the best. After they'd met she told him, just before she found him, that she thought she saw a shooting star; she mused that it was probably him, before he'd crash landed onto that beach and into her life. Their stars had crossed, connected, culminated in a supernova. Now there was just a black hole.

But Heero was the one who looked and felt like death. Part of him would welcome it. Another, stronger part reminded him that he had a daughter.

And, so, he had no choice but to make this work, on Relena's terms. If he wanted to remain a part of Ellie's life - and, by extension, Relena's - this was the only way he could do it. This was all she was giving him. It was the only thing he could do for her, now. She wouldn't let him do anything else.

Except pour her whiskey, evidently. He watched with some amusement as she proffered her empty glass, wordlessly asking for another round. He immediately obliged. His mind was churning in an effort to stay awake; he was having trouble remembering what they were supposed to be talking about, fixated on the curve of her lips as she spoke.

At some point she suggested that they had, in fact, touched on everything they'd agreed to, and said she would see him in the morning. Her office, downtown, 11 a.m. sharp, don't be late. Then she rose to leave, stooping for her coat. She stepped forward, into his space, and the polite thing for him to do would have been to step back, but he didn't. He found himself snatching her sleeve.

Relena's eyes swirled up at him. She offered him a sad smile and stood on tiptoe to peck his cheek. Her touch inflamed him. His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her closer. He knew he was pushing it and she could shove him, or slap him, or just wrench herself away and run, but she didn't do any of those things. She buried her face into his chest and kept it there until his shirt was moist. He brought up a hand and ran it through the length of her hair, letting his fingers get tangled in her strands. Her hands remained balled against his chest.

He leaned into her more and brushed a kiss to her neck, just below her ear.

"Stay with me," he breathed.

Relena pulled back, her eyes brimming with fresh tears ready to join her already wet cheeks.

"I can't…" She let the words hang between them, her eyes turning to ice. Of course, he had known better than to ask, and sure enough, after a moment of agonizing silence, the litany of excuses began.

"We," she whispered fervently, "can't fix this. We tried." She tore her gaze away, her face burning. "W-we're broken. We-"

Heero knew she would probably give him hell for it, but he was already in hell. He interrupted her words with a kiss. She didn't fight him, but then she didn't move at all.

He pulled away and waited, watching her eyes, as always. Now they took on a wide, haunted look.

"Heero…" she began.

"I didn't mean forever," he murmured, lifting his hand to run his thumb along her jaw. "I meant tonight."

Her eyes widened even more, somehow. "But… Ellie has a sitter…"

"Just another hour, then." Heero released her waist and stepped back, giving her her space. Letting her decide. Her eyes drifted to the door, then back up to his.

"I don't know…" she started, but she still didn't move. She bit her lower lip. "This is a bad idea…"

"Probably," Heero agreed, schooling his features back into their familiar mask. Perhaps if he could fool her into thinking he didn't care, that he wouldn't fall apart, as soon as she left.

She set her coat back down on the couch but otherwise didn't move, continuing to stare up at him. Waiting. He didn't dare move, either.

"Well?" she said, finally. When he said nothing she arched a brow. "What are we doing, Heero?"

He didn't want to answer because he didn't know. And if he thought about it for too long, he would crumble. Like he did when he was alone. Instead he took a final step toward her, gripping the back of her neck and crushing his lips to hers. She stepped back, allowing him to press her up against the wall. She let him glide his hands over her, let him hitch up her skirt. Her hands loosened his belt, undid his button and zipper. He leaned into her, gently, and their hips began the slow, familiar grind.

They had been dancing together for so long - ten years, to be exact - they'd memorized all the steps. Tonight wasn't a violent tango or a sweeping pas-de-deux, but a slow, steady waltz.

 _One, two, three. One, two, three…_

" _Are you off to fight again?"_

A voice from long ago arose, catching him off guard. Exposing him.

" _So even_ you _can be surprised… Since we met, you're always the one surprising me."_

"Relena…" Her name came out as a groan. He bent his head to her shoulder and rested it there. He felt her fingers stroke his hair, relaxing him enough to fall asleep where he stood.

" _Might as well enjoy it…_

"Heero." His head drooped to her bosom, soft and warm beneath her silk blouse, and she held him still, feathering a kiss to his forehead.

" _At least until the dance is over."_

At length they broke apart. She tipped her head to the side and gave him a faint smile. "Well. You're as dangerous as ever." Her face faltered and she gave a little huff. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" He kept his voice flat, his expression blank.

She waggled a brow. "Like you want to tie me up and throw me in your bedroom."

His lips twitched. "Tempting." She smiled again and grasped his arm.

"We're going to be fine," she murmured, giving him her bravest smile. "Just fine." Her eyes glimmered but, this time, her tears stayed put. He managed to refrain from thumbing them away, out of habit. She let go of his arm and bent to scoop up her coat. This time she pulled it on. Heero watched in mesmerized silence as she freed her long hair out of the confines of her lapels so that it fanned around her shoulders.

Relena collected herself back into business mode, addressing him briskly, as she would a work colleague. "Tomorrow, then?"

He nodded once, forcing himself to meet her eyes. "Tomorrow."

She moved to brush past him, but this time he didn't reach for her. She noticed and hung back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered tearfully, and he wondered if she meant for tonight, or all of it. She reached up and touched his cheek. "But I have to go."

"Then go," he said, his voice hoarse.

She opened her mouth then clamped it shut, and he wondered what else there was to say. Her eyes continued to sift him for an uncomfortable moment until, at last, she seemed to change her mind about sharing whatever was poised on her tongue. He saw her eyes fill again, her jaw clenched, as she sidestepped him and swept out of his apartment, pulling the door shut behind her.

Heero braced both his hands against the wall where he'd had her last. He could still feel her there, smell her perfume on his shirt. He yanked it over his head and balled it up, tossing it aside before picking up the bottle of whiskey and downing what was left. He stared at the empty space of wall for what felt like hours before he launched the bottle at it. The _smash_ reverberated throughout the room. Heero stood still as he was sprayed by shattered glass. He didn't bother to clean any of it up as he stumbled onto the couch, face down, and, for the first time in his lifetime, wept.

" _It's over." Her voice was low and soothing as she held him in her arms, tousling his hair, the drums of war slowing to a stop in the distance. "It's finally over."_

* * *

 _A/N: Is it ever over? Stay tuned to find out._

 _\- RFP_


	2. Custody

_**Four years later**_

 **February 21, A.C. 210**

 **Brussels, Belgium**

"Damn it, Heero Yuy, where are you?" Relena pressed her phone to her cheek after hitting redial for the third time. He hated when she did that. She hated it even more when he was late.

"Heero?" Her new assistant, Jules, frowned, looking up from her tablet from where she sat on Relena's couch.

"My ex," Relena sighed, admitting defeat and hanging up the phone. "Who is very late and not answering his phone right now."

"Oh, right." Jules bobbed her brown curls in understanding. "I forgot 'Heero' was his name. Usually you just say your _ex_ …"

"Or some other term of endearment?" Relena huffed in irritation. "I am _not_ in the mood for this right now…" Against her better judgment, she hit redial once more, stamping her foot for good measure. This time, instead of getting his voicemail, the call was dropped immediately.

"What? He hung up on me?" She stared at the phone's screen in disbelief. "If that man thinks he can just-"

Both Relena and Jules jerked their heads up at the sound of the front door creaking open. Relena swept into the foyer to find her erstwhile husband standing on the welcome mat, kicking snow off of his boots. Snow also clung to his hair and coat.

She faced him with balled up fists. "Heero-"

"What?" His dark eyes snapped to meet her gaze.

Relena found herself sighing, relenting. It was always hard to hold her own against that look of his. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I was driving." Heero took off his coat, shaking off more snow before hanging it on a hook in the mudroom, where he also proceeded to remove his boots. "From Luxembourg. Three hours in the snow," he added gruffly.

"That's why you're so late?" Relena arched a brow in his direction. "Weather? Like that's ever stopped you before."

"You should get going if you want to make your flight," Heero said pointedly.

Relena pinched the bridge of her nose. "Heero, I swear to God…"

"Dad?"

Heero brightened at the voice greeting him from the top of the stairs. "Hey, Ellie."

Ella Rose bounded down the stairs in an instant, flinging herself into Heero's arms before she'd reached the final step. He caught her easily and briefly spun her around before setting her down.

"You're getting too old for that," Heero half-scolded, his blue eyes quietly betraying his true emotion.

"Daddy!" the ten-year-old squealed in protest, laughing all the while. Relena rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Well, looks like you're off the hook. For now." She looked at Heero sharply before turning her heel and sauntering back toward the living room. "Jules? We can go now."

"I see your driver's got the car warmed up you," Heero said to his ex-wife's back. "Must be nice." Relena shot him a look over her shoulder that indicated she did not approve of his commentary. Her assistant hurried into the foyer, shrugging on her coat. Relena was already wearing hers.

"This is Jules MacIntyre, my assistant. Jules, this is my-" She paused, looking over at him. She always paused when she came to that part. Luckily Heero didn't seem to notice, or care.

"Heero Yuy. It's a pleasure," he said automatically, sticking out his hand.

"I, uh..." Jules stammered, her face turning beet red as she clasped his hand. "Nice to meet you!" she squeaked.

Heero just nodded before turning his eyes back to Relena. He knew she wasn't about to leave him with their daughter without a litany of instructions. He watched as she drew in a breath and turned to Jules.

"I'll meet you in the car. Please tell Franz I'll only be a minute." Her assistant nodded and made for the door, but not before stealing another bashful glance at Heero.

Relena was leaning down to sweep Ella into a hug. "I'll miss you, Ella-Bella," she murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Call me as soon as you land." Ella squeezed her mother's middle.

"It will be really late by then, but I'll call you sometime in the morning, your time." Relena smiled, brushing her daughter's hair back. "Be good for your father, okay?" Ella nodded obediently. "Now, why don't you go set the table for your dinner?"

"Let me guess." Ella tipped her head up at Relena, smiling coyly. "You want to speak to Dad _alone_ , right?" There was no mistaking the smirk in the ten-year-old's tone. Relena knew it was only a matter of time before she discovered sarcasm.

"Yes, sweetie, just for a minute. Then you two can kick off your fun-filled week." Relena tipped her head at Heero, her face a conflicted mixture of sweetness and impatience. He just shrugged.

"Go ahead, Elle. I'll be right there."

"Fine," she sighed before giving Relena one last squeeze. "'Bye, Mom. Have fun on your trip."

"Thank you, honey." Relena hugged Ella tightly again before releasing her. The ten-year-old looked a little sullen as she trudged out of the foyer, toward the kitchen.

"She's not a fan of your business trips," Heero observed.

"Of course not," Relena sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I used to hate it when my father would go away all the time, at least until I was old enough to go with him. Even then, I still hated how much he worked. But, now…" She raised her hands helplessly. Heero shook his head once.

"You don't need to explain to me."

"Right." Relena nodded, clutching both her hands to her chest.

"So what was it you wanted to speak to me about? Ground rules, I'm assuming?" Heero barely refrained from rolling his eyes. No matter how many times he'd looked after their daughter on his own, one thing never changed; Relena was always frantic about leaving her.

Now she just waved a hand. "No, not that. I know you'll be fine. And I appreciate your being willing to stay here for the week, so Ellie won't miss any school."

Heero frowned. "You do, huh? Why are you being so nice?"

"What, I'm not nice?" Relena frowned back up at him.

"Not to me," he countered. "Not usually."

"Heero, I have been nothing if not civil to you over the past few years, bordering on friendly." Relena wagged a finger at him. He smirked.

"Contain yourself before you smother me in all this emotion."

"Heero," she interjected, her eyes somber. "There is something I want to tell you." Heero's frown immediately deepened as Relena wrung her hands nervously.

"What is it?"

She lowered her gaze to the floor. "I… met someone. A while ago, actually. His name is Paul. We've been seeing each other for almost a year now, and-"

Heero arched a brow.

"- he's asked me to marry him."

"Hm." Heero folded his arms across his chest. "A whole year, huh?"

"Well, it was Valentine's Day and I guess he got a little carried away…" Relena's cheeks flushed.

 _How original,_ Heero scoffed inwardly. Out loud he said, "Then I guess congratulations are in order."

Relena held up a hand. "Don't congratulate me yet. I still haven't given him an answer; I told him I need time to think."

"Really. Why is that?" Heero wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Well…" Relena began twisting a strand of her hair, a nervous twitch she'd had since assuming public office as a teenager, but seldom succumbed to. "I'd like for you to meet him first."

Heero's eyes widened. "And what? Give you my approval?"

Relena nodded, her eyes shining up at him. "Exactly."

"Relena," he chuckled darkly. "Do what you want. I don't care."

Her face fell. "Well, you should, because my decision will impact this family."

"Are we going to continue to share custody of Ellie?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then nothing else concerns me."

Relena sighed. "I would like for the two of you to be able to coexist peacefully, at least; that way I know this will work. Ella is a very sensitive child, and I don't want her to be hurt by any of this. But if she sees you and Paul getting along-"

"Ella will be fine," Heero cut in, "because we will both continue to take care of her. Unless this Paul guy is a total asshole, I have no further interest in this discussion. But I trust if he were an asshole, you wouldn't have gotten involved with him. Right?" He glowered at her.

Relena tightened her gaze. "For your information, Paul is a very nice man."

"I suppose I'm satisfied with that ringing endorsement," Heero grunted.

"Do not," Relena took a step toward him, her pointer finger wagging, "pass that sarcastic humor on to our daughter, okay? She's far too young to be cynical. Are we clear?"

"Who's being sarcastic?" He shrugged.

"Not funny," she quipped. "Now, I really have to go. You know this is a private ESUN shuttle, right? I'm probably keeping the other delegates waiting."

"Go." Heero waved her off. "We're good."

She hesitated, her hand on the doorknob. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He moved toward the door, looming over her, about to push her outside himself. "Don't forget to send me your flight details. And be safe."

Relena tilted her head up at him, smiling in spite of herself. "Heero, you old softy. You still worry, don't you?" She reached up and tugged his cheek playfully. She caught a flicker of something in his eyes before his face turned back to stone.

"I wouldn't waste time worrying. Now get the hell out of here already." He yanked the door open and pressed a hand to her back in the slightest of shoves. To his dismay, the snow was pelting the earth more aggressively than when he was driving. He cursed under his breath.

Relena's face broke into a grin. "Look who's not worrying…"

"Relena…" he warned.

"Fine, I'm going." She gave him a little wave before descending the stone staircase to the driveway, where a black luxury SUV was waiting, sending white puffs of smoke up into the night sky. She stopped just short of the car and turned around.

"Heero?" she called over her shoulder, uncertainty clouding her light blue eyes. He frowned at her worried expression.

"What is it?" He was standing in the doorframe with no shoes or coat, looking forward to wrapping up their prolonged goodbye so he could shut the door and enjoy the house's warmth.

But Relena looked so anxious, it took everything in him not to rush to her side and see what he could do to eradicate the worry from her face. Over the years he had gotten used to helping her fight her battles and, well. Old habits died hard.

Her eyes went from distressed to hopeful as she raised them to the sky, then back down to him.

"You'll take care of her for me, won't you?"

Heero frowned, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his only barrier against the cold.

"Of course."

She nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Good." She tipped her head to the side and raised a hand to him once more before turning to open the car door. Heero watched as she slipped inside, her blonde hair and black coat disappearing from his sight. He waited to close the front door until the car had maneuvered out of the long, snow-laden driveway.

* * *

 _A/N: Hello, lovelies! Thank you for the positive feedback so far... I'm so glad you guys are on board with this one! Thank you for supporting the slight departure from my usual style! You may be wondering why I chose suspense as the secondary genre instead of, oh, you know, DRAMA (my fave), but believe me when I say... you shall see. Actually, this story falls under a category I like to call DRAMAGANZA. Anyway, I hope you'll stick with me on this one._

 _A little note about my titles... I actually tossed around the title of the prologue, "This Time Tomorrow," and this chapter title, "Custody," as titles for the story itself before settling on "Civil Wars." But the chosen title has a layered meaning (this is a divorce story, after all) and is also an homage to one of my all-time favorite musical acts (too bad they broke up! And yet, how poignant). Their songs have been a constant soundtrack as I work on this, to the point where I could almost turn this into a songfic, but I won't because I want the spotlight to be on our beloved characters here. I hope you'll read this like a novel because this is the novel I want to write (if only these characters were my own... it feels like they are! Which, I realize, is sad)._

 _But if this were a songfic, I would have opened the story with these lyrics, from the song_ Poison & Wine _:_

 **I don't love you, but I always will.**

 _Alas, I digress_... _Please let me know what you think so far, and I will try to keep the updates coming as quickly as possible!_

 _Hugs!_

 _\- RFP_


	3. Secrets and Pizza

"Relena, you have been holding out on me." Jules clucked her tongue in mock scolding.

"Hmm?" Relena glanced up only briefly from her phone as she tapped out her flight information to Heero, as promised. "How so?"

"Oh, I don't know, by not telling me your ex is smokin' hot?!" The younger woman quirked a brow at her boss. "That was very pertinent information you carelessly omitted."

"Oh, please." Relena tucked her phone into her purse, giving Jules her full attention. "Why would that matter?"

Jules gaped at her incredulously. "Um, it matters because it means I'm working for a crazy person, and that's something I should have known about before accepting this job, maybe." She shook her head, making her ringlets bounce. "Get it? Because only a crazy person would divorce someone that… that... _yummy_."

"Yummy?" Relena's brows arched. "Well, I haven't heard _that_ one before. I wonder what Heero would think?" She tapped her chin, lifting her eyes to the car roof. "Want me to give you his number, and you can tell him yourself?"

"Relena!" Jules was flushing furiously. "You can't be serious."

Relena shrugged one shoulder. "Why not? Knowing Heero, he hasn't been on a date in a while. Besides, now that I've told him about Paul, maybe he'll finally move on himself."

"Ugh, he's pining for you." Jules planted her cheek into her hand. "That's so hot..."

"So, I take it you don't want to date him, then?" Relena waved her phone in question.

Her assistant's cheeks went another shade redder. "Oh, no, I would relish the opportunity, but even if by some miracle he expressed even the slightest interest in me, I could never do that to you." Jules shook her head vigorously. "We're friends. And even if you say you're totally over him, there's no way I'm going to believe you. I mean, I saw the way you looked at him. And he looked at you… and... Ugh, I can't." Her sigh devolved into a groan.

"Well, that's sweet of you." Relena unconsciously smoothed the skirt of her black ruffled trench coat. "But I can assure you, I am definitely over Heero. We've been separated for almost four years now."

Jules looked at her boss in a mixture of disbelief and pity. "I just don't understand. How can you not stay with someone _that_ hot? I mean, if I had a guy like that, I would do _anything_ to make it work."

Relena chuckled under her breath, choosing not to take offense at the tactless remark; she knew Jules didn't actually mean anything by it. "Well, you know, looks aren't everything." She gave a helpless shrug. "Heero… is not exactly 'mister personality.'"

"Ah, figures." Jules nodded her understanding. "The best-looking ones are always bastards, aren't they?"

"I didn't mean it like that." Relena frowned, even as her eyes softened. "Heero is kind, and sensitive. He's a wonderful father to Ella. In fact, I'm surprised he opens up so much to her, considering how hard it is for him to open up to anyone. Even his wife." She sighed. "I guess you could say we've always had communication issues. But that's what happens when you get married and have a baby at nineteen, I suppose."

Jules was "ah-ing" and nodding again. "So that's why you married so young..."

"Oh, I would have married Heero anyway." Relena's eyes held a faraway glimmer. "I mean, we'd already lived so much life by the time we were teenagers; we'd already been together for almost four years by the time we got married. True, if it hadn't been for Ella, we probably would have waited a little longer, but it always seemed like an inevitability. Like we just... fit."

"Wow," Jules breathed, hanging on to Relena's every word. "So what happened?"

Relena shifted in her seat. "Well, we seemed to have different ideas of what marriage entailed. Let's just say Heero's version involved keeping me under constant surveillance. But then I suppose I should have known what I was getting into, marrying my bodyguard."

"So romantic," Jules sighed.

"Oh, you have no idea," Relena chided her. "Let's just say the romance, which was sparse to begin with, faded pretty quickly."

"I find that hard to believe," her assistant interjected. "With those smoldering, bedroom eyes of his? Really?"

"Really," Relena said flatly. "Trust me, that sort of thing is far less appealing when you're at one another's throats all the time."

Jules frowned. "What did you fight about?"

"What didn't we fight about?" Relena shrugged. "Mostly work, I suppose. We both had demanding schedules, for one thing. Heero's… job required even more travel than mine. He'd be gone for weeks at a time without giving me any details, and then I started accusing him of things, and once that trust was broken… Well." She turned her face to look out the car window. "It wasn't a healthy environment for Ella; she was so young and impressionable. One day I asked Heero for a divorce, and... he didn't fight me."

Jules sat staring at Relena in stunned silence as she continued with a heavy sigh. "I envy those couples who stay together for forty, fifty years. We couldn't even make it to ten, and even that felt like a lifetime."

"Oh, Relena." Jules stuck out her lower lip. "I'm sorry. This must all be so hard for you."

"Thanks, Jules, but I'm fine." She turned her head and smiled at her assistant reassuringly. "It was a long time ago, and it's all water under the bridge now. Besides, Heero and I get along… better than we did when we were married, actually."

"Really?"

"Sure." Relena spread her hands. "This arrangement works well for us. We get to co-parent Ella, we only communicate on a need-to-know basis, and we can both focus on work. And speaking of-" She pulled her phone back out of her purse. "Did you happen to send me the latest edits to the presentation slides?"

"Ooh, clever segue." Jules rolled her eyes, droning, "Work, work, work…"

"Well, this conference is important," Relena said pointedly, her gaze firm. "Which is why I should look over those edits during the flight."

"Sending now," Jules sang out as she picked up her tablet. "Slave driver," she added cheekily, sticking out her tongue.

"Just trying to be proactive." Relena glanced up from her phone, taking in the snow accumulating on the car windows. "Assuming we even make our flight…"

* * *

Heero cast another doubtful look out the sitting room window before picking up his mobile once more. The snowstorm was increasing in strength, but he knew it would take a squall worse than that to ground a space shuttle. Although he could hack the circuit controls and ground the thing himself, if he wanted to. And he did want to, but Relena would never let him hear the end of it.

"Dad, the table's set." Ella wandered into the living room. "What do you want for dinner?"

He turned to his daughter and shrugged. "How about pizza?"

She crinkled her nose. "You always want pizza."

"What's wrong with pizza?"

"For one thing, no delivery person is going to drop it off in all this snow." Ella swept a hand toward the window. "And besides, Mom left a bunch of her pre-approved, pre-packaged meals."

Heero arched a brow. "You're starting to sound like your mother. And what meals has she _pre-approved_ for you?"

"Let's go see." Ella took off toward the kitchen, so Heero followed. She opened the refrigerator and, with a dramatic flourish, started pulling out stacks of tupperware. "Chicken, rice, veggies... Salmon, quinoa, veggies… Turkey, farro, veggies…"

Heero's eyes took in the colorful stacks. "She's been busy."

Ella nodded, tapping on the stacks. "She does 'meal prep' on Sundays and we eat from the containers all week long."

Heero took the lid off of one, sniffed the contents, and quickly replaced it. "Well, you can start your fad diet tomorrow. Tonight we're having pizza."

"Dad, it's not a diet, it's a _lifestyle_ ," Ella said in an exaggerated fashion. "And anyway, where are we going to get the pizza?"

He smirked. "I have a stash."

"Oh, yeah?" Her eyes danced. "Where?"

"Basement. Your mom never uses that freezer." He opened a nearby drawer and grabbed two flashlights, handing one to her. "Come on." He led the way to the basement door.

Ella followed, swinging her flashlight. "But why do we need these? Aren't there lights down there?"

Heero held a finger to his lips. "This is a stealth mission. Now, do you want to find the secret stash, or not?" He quirked a single brow, sending Ella into giggles.

"Dad…" She clutched her stomach as she laughed. "You're so weird."

"So I'm told." Heero gave his daughter a stern look, but his eyes twinkled. "Now control yourself, soldier, or you'll compromise our mission. Do you copy?"

Ella quickly schooled her features before saluting dutifully. "Roger that, mission."

Heero couldn't help but grin at her serious expression. If it hadn't been for the long, honey blonde hair, he would have sworn Ella took more after him, but she was the spitting image of Relena.

* * *

Relena forced herself to look up from her paperwork after what felt like hours of intense study. She yawned, stretched and checked her wristwatch, which was set to Brussels time. It was half-past midnight back home. Ella would be fast asleep, she hoped, but she knew Heero was probably still awake. If he was still the Heero she knew, anyway.

She turned to say something to Jules, but saw that her assistant was sleeping in her seat. A quick glance around the shuttle revealed that the other delegates heading to the colony for the conference were asleep as well. But, then, it was after midnight in their timezone; Relena should have been sleepy, too, but her chronic insomnia was working overtime.

She craned her neck to see if any of the flight attendants were up and about; the cabin air was dry, and she could use some water. She had downed a bottle she'd bought at the spaceport, but otherwise hadn't had anything to drink the entire flight.

Looking around, she noticed that her colleagues all had tea cups on their seat trays. Relena frowned, thinking it had been a while since the beverage cart went around. But maybe she had been wrapped up in her reading.

An errant thought popped into her mind. _Rule number one._ The voice in her head happened to be Heero's. _Never drink the tea._

She hadn't had any tea that night, but had everyone else? Relena's frown deepened as she surveyed her fellow passengers. No one stirred in their sleep. And while she could tell that Jules and others around her were breathing, they all seemed to be in a deep, sedated slumber.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone, automatically dialing the last number she'd called.

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	4. Contingency

Heero was camped out on the sofa, mindlessly flipping through TV channels, something he rarely did. Anything was better than staring up at the ceiling from one of the vacant beds in Relena's house, trying not to think about… certain things. Or certain people.

He also wanted to distract his thoughts from Relena's flight, although the storm had finally abated, and he knew she was high above it now, anyway. The shuttle appeared to be on course, so he had no reason to be concerned. He turned off the TV, bored already, and started flipping through one of Relena's coffee table books. It was full of bland-looking macrobiotic recipes, none of which appeared appetizing. But clearly the unexciting foods held the secret to how his ex-wife had continued to maintain the slim figure of her youth. Which Heero, jaw clenching, determined not to fixate on for too long, however difficult that was proving to be. Damn place was full of memories. Why, that very couch...

His ringing phone sliced through the silence, sending him into high alert. Especially when he saw the name on the caller ID.

"Relena," he answered automatically.

"Hi," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"

"No." He frowned. Why was she whispering? More importantly, why would she call him from space? "What's wrong?"

"Oh, everything's fine." Her tone was light and breezy. "How are you?"

Heero's heartbeat quickened. He knew she wasn't calling him to chitchat. She never did that anymore. Something was wrong.

"Tell me what you can," he whispered urgently.

"Um, well…" He heard her intake of breath. "Everyone's asleep…"

"Asleep?" His skin prickled. She couldn't mean… "Have you checked any pulses?"

"Mm-hmm," she answered casually. "Yep. Asleep."

"Okay," he breathed. "Did you see what happened? Poison? Chloroform?"

"No, I didn't..." she said slowly, lowering her voice even more. "I think… it was… tea."

"Tea?" He frowned. "You didn't have any?"

"No."

"But you're fine?"

"Mm-hmm."

"What about your bodyguard?" He figured ESUN would have sent several for a group of delegates.

"Also in la-la land…"

"I'm going to have to vet this security team myself next time," he grumbled. "Is he armed, at least?"

"I think so?" He could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Relena." Heero was sitting on the edge of the sofa, gripping the phone. "Listen carefully. Remember, we've been through this scenario before. I need you to think clearly, and do what you need to do. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," she whispered after a beat.

"Don't hesitate or hold anything back. Just like we practiced. Remember?" Granted, it had been years since they had gone over safety protocols together, but Heero hoped some things were not so easily forgotten.

"I remember." Her voice shook, just slightly.

"Then I need you to take your bodyguard's weapon and secure it on your person. Can you do that now?" Silence fell for a moment. "Relena?"

"I'm on it." She almost sounded annoyed. Good. Irritation would help her build up her resolve, he thought. He could hear her shuffling around and hoped she would be able to find the weapon and hide it before she was found out. "Got it," she said a few minutes later.

"Nice work," he said approvingly. "Now get ready to use it. If you have to."

"But, I-"

"Relena, don't argue with me. Remember what we talked about? You have to be prepared to fight. No matter what, do not let anyone take you to another location. You're already in transit, but…" He paused, listening to her steady breathing on the other end. "I can hack the shuttle controls and reroute the transmission circuit." He pulled his laptop out of his backpack as he spoke. "Otherwise, I can't control what happens on board. If you need to fight, then fight."

"And then what?" Her voice was still quiet and calm.

"And then we get you and the others the hell out of there." Heero glowered at his laptop screen. He could hack the shuttle's system a lot faster from the control room in the ESUN headquarters. He was able to access the database through the VPN from Relena's home, not too far away; but in this case, he knew fast still wasn't fast enough.

"I'm almost in," he murmured into the phone, hoping that would help ease her mind.

"Heero," she hissed. "Someone's coming."

"Stay calm," he instructed, although his own heart thumped in his ears. Not that he would ever let on. "Who is it?"

"Flight crew," she whispered. "But…"

"A disguise?" Heero wondered as his fingers flew across his keyboard.

"I'm not sure. I-"

"Ma'am?" A woman's voice sharply cut through in the background. "Ma'am, we're going to need you to return to your seat."

"Why, yes, of course." Relena was using her most polite, professional voice. "I was just checking on the rest of my colleagues; they all seem to have fallen asleep." She chuckled airily, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Yes, well, it's a very long flight," said the other woman. Heero didn't detect anything sinister in her tone, but that meant nothing. "You should rest, too, while you can."

"No, thank you," Relena said evenly. "But I am curious as to why it's taking the others so long to wake up. Surely you must know something?"

"Now, Ms. Darlian, let's not get all out of sorts. Please return to your seat. And hang up that cell phone! Mobile devices have not been approved for this portion of the flight."

Heero bolted up at the sounds of a struggle. A loud thudding in his ear indicated Relena's phone had been knocked to the floor. He heard the sound of a gun cocking. Then Relena's sharp, clear voice.

"I demand you tell me what's going on!"

"Give them hell, baby," he murmured, although he knew full well she could no longer hear him. "I'm on my way."

The line went dead. Now that Heero no longer had ears on Relena, the situation was all the more dire, and he wasn't about to waste any time. He quickly made another call.

"Agent Alpha." Une answered on the first ring. The consummate commander, she always sounded alert, no matter the time of day.

He cut right to the chase. "We have a situation with ESUN flight A-65 that requires immediate response. It's currently in transit between the L3 and L4 clusters…"

"I'm aware," Une cut in, not sounding the least bit alarmed. "Although it appears to have been diverted…"

"I hacked the transmission circuit."

"Why?"

"I have it on good authority it's been hijacked."

"Whose authority?"

"Relena's," Heero said simply.

Her heard Une draw in a sharp breath. "She's onboard?"

"Affirmative."

"Hm…" Heero could hear Une typing on her end. "This is a private government shuttle. With all of ESUN's security policies in place, how could terrorists even hijack it?"

" _If_ they're terrorists. We don't know anything yet."

"What are you suggesting, Yuy?" Une sounded testy.

"I'm suggesting a Preventers crew meet that shuttle immediately."

"I'm already on it," Une barked. "But you're just going to hold it in place? If these are in fact terrorists, I wouldn't suggest that; you don't know what their intentions are. What's to stop them from just blowing-"

"I know," Heero cut in. "I won't hold it for much longer. Just long enough for the Preventers to track it. The shuttle was originally headed for L4 but changed course for L3 midway through the flight. No word on how long the passengers have been unconscious."

"Unconscious?" Heero gave Une a brief rundown of what had happened with Relena. "It sounds to me like they want her alive," the commander said afterward. "Otherwise why bother drugging everyone else while keeping up the charade?"

"No idea," Heero said flatly. "But I'm not leaving this up to chance. I'm going to need a shuttle."

"Naturally," said Une. "I'm on my way to HQ. We'll have one ready for you when you arrive."

"Thank you," Heero said in the sincerest tone he could muster. He appreciated Une's dedication, especially in critical moments.

"Don't thank me for doing my job," she snapped. "Now hurry."

"Right. See you soon." Heero ended the conversation and pocketed his phone. Now, there was only one other contingency he had to address. And she was sound asleep upstairs.

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	5. Bad Actors

Two burly men wearing ESUN air police uniforms guided Relena toward the back of the shuttle, away from the other passengers, after confiscating her weapon and slapping handcuffs on her wrists. Neither of which she appreciated.

"Let go of me!" she cried, twisting against their hold. "This is unconscionable. I demand an explanation at once!"

The men just chuckled above her head as they pushed her into one of the empty seats in the back.

"Looks like someone could use a cup of tea," one of them quipped while the other snickered. Relena's eyes widened at the implication.

"Now, now." The flight attendant who had originally approached Relena clucked her tongue. "Ms. Darlian is obviously just a little out of sorts."

Relena continued to struggle against her constraints while she looked at the other woman indignantly. "When this gets back to the President's office, this incident is not going to reflect well on your part."

"Ms. Darlian, please," the flight attendant, a pale blonde who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, sighed. "We had no choice but to restrain you, for now. We can't have you disturbing the other passengers."

Relena's brows shot up. "How can I disturb them when they're not even conscious? Who drugged them, anyway? And why?"

The woman cracked a smile and looked at the two men. "Apparently the tea we serve has a very calming effect. Must be the lavender." The officers both chuckled again. Relena's impatience was growing.

"None of you seem to appreciate who you're trifling with," she warned.

"Who, the former pacifist Queen of the World, or the gun-toting Foreign Minister?" One of the officers unholstered the gun Relena had taken from her sleeping bodyguard and gave it a spin before holstering it again. "Looks like you're the one who has some explaining to do…"

A string of expletives from the bulkhead caught everyone's attention.

"Graham?" The flight attendant's light eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?" Another flight attendant emerged, scratching the back of his head. He gave the woman a shrug from his side of the aisle.

"We seem to be… stuck." He gave her a sheepish look.

"Stuck?" The woman's eyes tightened. "How so?"

"I dunno. Shuttle just kinda… stopped." The woman left Relena's side and strode angrily down the aisle toward the young man.

"What do you mean, stopped?" she hissed.

"I don't know, Alicia, I'm not an engineer, okay?" Graham rolled his eyes. "I'm sure the _cap_ will figure it out…" The way he said "cap" sounded almost sarcastic. Relena arched a brow.

"Aha," she said in understanding, grinning up at the two officers. "I see now."

"What?" One of them shot her a questioning glance.

She didn't answer him directly, instead declaring, "Now we get to the fun part…"

The PA system crackled to life and the pilot addressed Relena and the sedated passengers. "Ladies and gentlemen, fine dignitaries of ESUN, this is Bennett, your captain, speaking. I'm afraid to report we're experiencing a bit of turbulence, so we're going to stay in place for the moment, until we can safely approach the L3 colony cluster…"

Relena frowned, as there were two things wrong with his words. One - unless they somehow wound up in an asteroid field, which was so unlikely it was laughable, there was no such thing as turbulence in space travel. Two - the shuttle was bound for L4, not L3, and they should have been there by now.

The seasoned politician didn't need the bad acting around her to convince her that something was terribly wrong.

"So, just sit tight, folks," the captain was saying. "Enjoy your naps!" His laugh sounded a bit maniacal, unless Relena was somehow hearing things. But, then, she hadn't had the tea…

"Bullshit," she muttered, knowing her language would surprise the officers and flight attendants.

"I beg your pardon?" The woman called Alicia came sashaying back over to Relena, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's just cut to the chase already, shall we?" Relena would have raised her hands in gesture, but since they were shackled, she settled for shrugging her shoulders. "This is the part where you tell me who you are, who you're working for, and what they want."

Alicia shot a look at Graham, who had followed behind her. The youth looked at her, then Relena. "We, uh, work for ESUN, ma'am. Like you."

Relena rolled her eyes. "Come on. Don't expect me to buy that. And what is with all this 'ma'am' business, anyway? I may be a mother, but I'm not even thirty, and hardly a 'ma'am' yet. Besides, you all know who I am." She straightened up in her seat, making sure to look each one of them in the eye. "And I demand you answer my questions. If you cooperate now, it may spare you a trial later." She arched a single brow, daring anyone to defy her.

The group exchanged looks before breaking into laughter.

"Ms. Darlian, I think you've watched one too many movies." Alicia waved a hand, which only served to irk Relena more.

"I'm afraid I've lived through one too many, Alicia." The flight attendant seemed to be taken aback that Relena had learned her name. "If that's your real name, that is."

"Graham," Alicia sputtered. "Why don't you fix Ms. Darlian some tea?"

"Oh, no you don't." Relena shook her head. "But you may tell me what's in that stuff, and why all of my colleagues are so affected by it. I'm guessing it's a lot more potent than lavender."

Graham looked nervous while the other three glared at Relena.

"I'd keep quiet if I were you," one of the officers said without preamble. Relena just smiled calmly at him.

"I see. That's not one of my strong suits, unfortunately. Talking incessantly is part of my job description…" She peered at him more closely. "So which is it?"

The officer's frown deepened. "Which is what?"

"Well, you're either a disguised terrorist from some minor faction, or a disgruntled air police union member. Although hijacking a shuttle is a strange way to go on strike…" Relena tilted her head at him.

"Ah, Foreign Minister Darlian…" The captain, another tall, muscular man like the two officers, had left his station and made his way down the aisle. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but at the moment Relena couldn't place him. He was a handsome man with a booming, jovial voice, but Relena detected something else in both his tone and expression. Something sinister. But, then, maybe she _had_ seen too many movies.

Somehow she doubted that, though. She never had time for movies.

"We apologize for the… inconvenience," the man who called himself Bennett was saying, smiling down at Relena gregariously. She glared back up at him.

"How about uncuffing me, then?" He broke into a wide grin.

"Now, now, let's not be so hasty," he said in a patronizing tone. "You had better just remain calm."

"Why should I do anything you say?" she snapped. She was beginning to think more and more that she was dealing with a bunch of amateurs and would rather get the fake niceties out of the way. She couldn't very well solve a problem if she didn't know what she was dealing with, exactly. "Who are you people?!"

Bennett's grin widened somehow, showing off perfectly white, even teeth. He reminded Relena of a used car salesman.

"Well, kids," he addressed the rest of his crew. "You gotta hand it to Relena Darlian; she's a clever one. I'd say the proverbial cat's out of the bag!" He chuckled at his own joke.

"Roy," Alicia hissed at the captain.

"Is that your _real_ name?" Relena quirked a brow.

He shrugged. "Roy Bennett?" Relena just shook her head at him, still not buying the cover-up. "Fine. It doesn't matter. We will make ourselves known soon enough." He leaned down and placed a finger under Relena's chin, using just a little too much pressure, enough to make her wince, before he abruptly released her. He turned back to his crew.

"It's just about time for a little announcement." He clamped a rough hand on Relena's shoulder. "And you, Foreign Minister, get to play a starring role…"


	6. Reinforcements

_A/N: Happy Memorial Day! These chapters are kind of short so I thought I'd do a double update. I am trying to churn this one out quickly so you guys don't have to be in suspense for_ too _long... I'll do my best! Thank you for all of the positive feedback so far!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

A sleepy Ella rubbed her eyes in the backseat of Heero's SUV. She had only given him a minor argument when he'd woken her up and said they needed to pay a visit to Aunt Noin and Uncle Zechs. As Heero drove the short distance from Relena's house to the Merquise residence, he thought Ella seemed more sullen than anything else.

"You really have to go to work now?" she muttered.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Duty calls." He knew it was a lame explanation and his daughter was too smart to buy it, but it was all he could tell her for the moment.

"It's Mom, isn't it?" Heero could see the steely gaze Ella was fixing on him in the rearview mirror. She may have more closely resembled Relena, but that look was all his.

"Your mother's fine," he lied, although it was mostly true. She had been fine, for the most part, when he'd spoken to her. He hoped she still was and, at the very least, if the altercation had worsened since their call was disrupted, that she was employing some of the self-defense techniques he'd taught her long ago.

His ringing phone erupted into the otherwise silence, but Heero didn't dare hope that Relena had already managed to free herself and was calling him back. He glanced briefly at the caller ID, which was displayed on his car console, and scowled.

"Who's Raquel?" Ella called from the backseat.

"No one important," Heero grunted, wincing inwardly. He knew that wasn't nice, even coming from him. But judging from his conversation with Relena in the foyer earlier, Ella didn't know about Paul yet; there was no way Heero was going to tell her about Raquel.

Who was breaking his one rule right now: never call when he was with his family. Heero's jaw tightened as the call went to voicemail. He depended on Raquel's discretion, as he was sure Relena did with her… boyfriend, or fiance, or whatever he was. Heero's mood was only worsening. Now, not only was he worried for Relena's safety, but he was tasked with explaining to his ten-year-old why some woman was calling him in the middle of the night. As if the kid didn't already have enough questions.

A sniffle came from the backseat that started to form into a sob.

"Ella," Heero scolded softly. "Come on. Don't cry."

"But…" she sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm confused. And scared. What's going on?" He could see her lower lip trembling in the rearview mirror. "Where's Mom?"

"Your mother is on her shuttle," he said in a gentle, yet firm tone.

His daughter gave another mighty sniff before straightening her posture. "That tells me nothing."

Heero swore under his breath. He was pulling into Zechs and Noin's long driveway now and hoped he could avoid further questions.

"Dad…"

The iron gate to the Merquise residence swung open as Heero's car approached and maneuvered up the freshly-plowed driveway toward the large stone house. Noin was already waiting at the front door.

"Have fun with your cousins, and try not to worry." He shot his daughter an apologetic look as he eased the car to a stop. She returned his look with a scowl that could rival any of his.

"How long is this 'job' gonna take?" She was also as demanding as Relena at times.

"Not long." Another lie, but only because Heero had no idea. He unfastened his seatbelt and climbed out of the car, moving to open Ella's door. She slid out into the snow, still glaring at her father.

"Mom's not going to be happy about this." She grabbed her overnight bag and marched over to Noin.

"Hi, sweetie." Noin greeted her niece with a hug and a ruffle of her hair. "Why don't you go up to the guest room? Milou and Naina are sleeping, but…"

Ella shot her father a look over her shoulder. "Because it's kind of late for a slumber party, isn't it, Dad?"

"I'm sorry, Ella," he said, knowing his words were falling flat with his overly astute child. "Thanks for doing this," he added to his former sister-in-law.

"You know Ellie is welcome here any time." Noin waved a hand before turning her attention back to her niece. "Why don't you say goodnight to your father and head on up to bed? We can make pancakes in the morning!" She imbued her voice with cheeriness.

Ella turned back to her father solemnly, her lower lip threatening to form another pout. Heero leaned down and swept her into a hug.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he murmured, although he knew his words were all but useless. He felt Ella sigh against his grasp.

"Just... be careful, please." She broke away and stepped into the warmth of the house before looking back at him morosely. "'Bye, Dad."

Heero's shoulders slumped as he watched her plod up the staircase.

"There goes my father of the year award…" he muttered to Noin, causing her to chuckle.

"Oh, Heero. Ellie's a bright kid. I'm sure she understands what you and Relena do for work is far from normal." Noin tipped her head, eyeing him sympathetically. "She's come to expect things like this can happen."

"Yeah," Heero lamented. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"How is Relena?" Noin's violet eyes seemed to scan his for traces of information; Heero, of course, had revealed very little on the phone.

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "But I hope to find out more soon."

"Well…" Noin glanced behind her. "This may not come as a surprise, but…"

Heero followed her gaze to see Zechs bounding down the staircase in what appeared to be a single fluid motion. It was almost as if he flew, his long blond hair billowing behind him as he burst out the front door. He was dressed in his Preventers uniform and carrying a duffel bag.

Heero immediately shook his head.

"Zechs-"

The former Lightning Count, now known as Preventer Agent Zeta, halted in front of Heero, bearing down on him in self-styled regal defiance.

"I'm coming with you."


	7. Consequences

Relena was waiting, but for what, she didn't know.

The so-called captain had apparently come out to throw his weight around before returning to the cockpit, leaving her alone with Alicia and the rest of the amateur hour, as Relena was coming to consider them. If they were terrorists or a rebel faction of some kind, Relena doubted they were the ones in charge of this mission; their continual bewilderment made it abundantly clear that someone else had to be pulling the strings.

Some of the passengers were starting to stir, much to Relena's relief, and the crew members' anguish. The four of them exchanged nervous whispers.

"They're waking up…" Graham gulped. "That shouldn't be happening."

"That's because we're fucking stalled," Alicia hissed. "We should've been there by now."

"So what do we do?"

"Give them another dose, idiot!"

Relena grinned. This was going well; Heero's plan seemed to be working, so far. At the very least, his hacking job was buying her precious time.

"Well, well…" She looked up to see Bennett emerging from the cockpit once again. "Looks like our little hiccup has been resolved. Just a minor technical glitch." He turned his gaze to Relena. "We'll be back on our way shortly, so sit tight."

Like she had a choice.

"Where are we going?" She tossed the question at him. "Clearly not the ESUN conference on L4..."

Bennett chuckled. "Let's just say we're making a little detour. Since you're just hanging around, you might as well join me in the cockpit, Ms. Darlian. You might see something interesting pretty soon."

He motioned for Relena to stand, so she did. She motioned with her head over her shoulder.

"And you might as well uncuff me," she said. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go." Her hands itched behind her back. She would fight those big men with her bare hands, if she had to. Alicia and Graham would not be as difficult to subdue, even though both were taller than she was. She knew she was small and thin, but adrenaline was a thing, wasn't it? Perhaps hers would kick in and give her a surge of strength. She would take her chances to protect herself and the rest of the passengers.

Bennett was still chuckling and shaking his head. "Not just yet, Ms. Darlian. It's for your own good." He placed a hand in the crook of her arm and steered her toward the front of the shuttle. "Come with me…"

* * *

Heero and Zechs arrived at the Preventers headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels to find the entire compound on high alert. After they each entered two forms of biometric authentication and their individual PIN codes, they were granted access into the base. The two men headed straight for the hangar, where Une had said she would meet them.

They found the hangar a flurry of activity with various Preventer agents darting about. One young agent broke away from her group and rushed over toward Heero and Zechs as they approached the shuttle.

"Heero!" The slim, twenty-something brunette called over to him. He turned his head at the use of his first name. His eyes narrowed when they fell on Agent Morena.

"What is it?" he glowered.

Zechs folded his arms and frowned impatiently at Heero. "This had better be important."

"We don't have much time," Heero warned the younger agent as she approached.

"I know, you have to go," she said breathlessly, her hazel eyes holding his hostage. "I only wanted to speak with you briefly before you do."

Heero gave Zechs a sidelong glance. "Go on ahead," he grumbled. "I'm right behind you." Zechs cast a withering glare at both of them before departing.

"Heero-"

He whirled on her. "I shouldn't have to tell you how inappropriate this is. What's more, you know you shouldn't have called me. I told you I would be with my daughter all week."

Her face fell. "I assumed when I received an order to ready a shuttle for Agent Alpha that your plans had changed..."

"Assume nothing," Heero barked. But his temper slowly ebbed as she cast plaintive eyes on him. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Ella was with me when you called."

"I'm sorry; I didn't know." She rested a hand on his arm, but he immediately shrugged away.

"I'm still technically with my family," he reminded her, jerking his head toward Zechs, who was standing with Une several feet away.

"You mean your _ex_ brother-in-law?" Heero didn't appreciate how she emphasized his least favorite word.

"He's still family," he said flatly. "He is the uncle of my child. Relena is the mother of my child, and she needs me."

"I'm aware of how your family tree works, Heero. And naturally, everything always revolves around Relena," she quipped. Heero balked at her sarcasm.

"Maybe if you paid more attention to the geopolitical scene, you would actually understand why that is."

"Oh, I know Relena will be our President one day." The agent rolled her eyes. "And I'll have to answer to my boyfriend's ex-wife." Her nostrils flared. "How do you think that makes me feel?"

Heero's scowl deepened. "I don't care how that makes _you_ feel." She gasped and balled both hands at her hips.

"But-"

"Raquel," Heero interrupted, his eyes boring into hers, "I'm not the only agent here who has sworn an oath to protect Relena. But my obligation to her runs deeper than that. And you know it." He held her gaze for several uncomfortable seconds before breaking. "I have to go."

He spun away from her before she could lob another argument at him. Raquel helplessly watched him stride toward Agent Zeta and Commander Gold. She jumped when a hand clasped her shoulder, and whirled around to see Agent Water.

"Oh! Hi, Sally," Raquel sighed, her eyes fixed on the back of Heero's head.

"Heero Yuy? Really?" Sally Po shook her head, chuckling. "Oh, Raquel. I wouldn't. I so wouldn't."

Raquel frowned at the senior agent. "Too late…"

* * *

"Tell me, Minister Darlian. Are you a fan of holographic projections?"

Relena eyed Bennett warily as he fiddled with the shuttle console. "I've employed the technology, when necessary."

"Wonderful." He grinned. "You're going to pay the citizens of Earth and the colonies a little visit in their living rooms… Won't that be a fun surprise?"

She stilled her breath and asked calmly, "Is that so?"

"Now, I know you don't have a speech prepared," Bennett barrelled on, "but for a seasoned orator as yourself, that shouldn't be an issue. Besides, I'll be feeding lines to you."

"About what?" Relena blurted, exasperated. "What are you after?"

Bennett leaned back on the center console and smiled at her. "Why, the Gundams, of course."

Relena's brows shot up. "The Gundams? _What_ Gundams?"

He chuckled and reached over to fluff her hair. "Oh, Relena. You're quite cute, you know that? Maybe when this is all over, we could get to know each other a little better..."

Her features screwed up in disgust. "You must be joking. Now tell me what you want with mythological weapons that no longer exist."

Bennett's smile evaporated, his dark eyes snapping in anger. "You can continue to deny what you know, Relena." He reverted to her first name. "But you were married to a Gundam pilot and have remained close with the others. We know _you_ know more than you're willing to admit. But I have a feeling you'll talk…"

Bennett flicked a remote, bringing up a holographic image of Relena giving a speech, with Ella standing off to the side of the podium, surrounded by handlers. He zoomed in on Ella's face.

A shiver ran down Relena's back. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Wouldn't I?" Bennett spread his hands. "You don't know who we are or what we're capable of. But, oh…" He chuckled. "You will."

Relena felt sick. She had a feeling she knew exactly who they were- a covert group she'd spent the past few years investigating. And she had planned to present her report on the results of that investigation at the ESUN conference on L4. It was obvious why they would want to divert her shuttle, but what a government-funded human trafficking ring would want with _Gundams_ was unclear. _Unless this is all some mass deception…_ Relena's eyes narrowed. Years of working for ESUN had enabled her to uncover some of its dark underbelly, but there was still much she didn't know.

She shifted in her seat, straining against her cuffs, her resolve only growing. "If anyone goes near my daughter, rest assured, I will kill them myself."

Bennett's head shot back as he laughed. "Oh, Relena. I have no idea when your politics changed, but I love it. You've become quite the mama bear, haven't you?" He shot her a predatory grin. "Now, I'll let it slide if you don't know, exactly, where the Gundams are right this second… because you're going to help us find out."

He picked up the holographic device from the console and aimed it at her face.

"Now, Relena, you're going to ask the Gundam pilots to reveal themselves. And warn the people of ESUN that there will be consequences if they don't…"

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you once again to all of the lovely reviewers! Special shout-out to you wonderful guest commenters... I would love to be able to respond to each one of you personally but thank you for taking the time to comment, even without a log-in. But you should totally log in so we can chat! ;)_

 _It's been so fun to hear from each of you and see where you think this story might be headed. I hope to continue making it an enjoyable ride. Please continue to share your thoughts! I love how this fandom just keeps on going... and going... As the lovely author murshmallow says, it's a zombie fandom! Let's keep... zombie-ing... and stuff._

 _Love you guys!_

 _\- RFP_


	8. Out of the Shadows

Une's usually commanding voice sounded thin and far away as Heero worked to reroute his focus.

"We're dispatching a small unit to assist the two of you- our best field agents, apart from the other former Gundam pilots. You got that, Agent Alpha?" Une's dark eyes snapped to his from behind her round glasses, and Heero snapped to attention.

He nodded once. "Roger that."

Une continued to hold his gaze as she spoke in her flat, yet authoritative, tone. "Speaking of your comrades, only two of them responded to my virtual roll call. Agents Gamma and Kappa are both in space, ready to mobilize," she said, referring to Trowa Barton and Wufei Chang, respectively. "Agent Kappa is already commanding the Aventinus, while Agent Gamma has secured his own shuttle. He will depart from L3 and attempt to intercept ESUN flight A-65."

Heero's jaw tightened. "Tell Barton he'd better light a fire under his ass." He hoped the former Heavyarms pilot would reach Relena's shuttle in time to stop it, since he happened to be closest to the shuttle's apparent flight path.

Zechs nodded briskly. "Status of the other two?"

"Unknown," Une answered, turning to the former Lightning Count. "But I expect to hear from Agents Beta or Delta at any moment. It's not like either one of them to be tardy."

"Duo is probably sleeping; Quatre's probably already at that conference," said Heero. "I would keep trying."

Une nodded. "Agreed. What about Agent Theta?"

Zechs slid his eyes over to Heero. "She's home, with the kids."

"I see." Une frowned. "If this threat is targeting Relena, it stands to reason the rest of your family is at risk. I would advise Noin to take the children to a Preventers safe house, immediately."

Zechs nodded his agreement. "I'll call her before we leave."

Une was tapping furiously on her tablet. "I'll send a few agents over to the house to escort them." Zechs looked over at Heero warily, but Une continued, unabashed. "At the very least, they can serve as backup."

Heero fingered his phone in his pocket. He would have to call Ella, too, and tell her not to be anxious. He wished he could do more to safeguard her, finding himself at an impasse he'd only ever encountered in his nightmares- choosing between the safety of his child and her mother. But at the moment, he reminded himself, Ella had more than adequate protection. Relena, apart from her clearly incompetent bodyguards, was all alone. In space.

Heero clenched his jaw again.

"Anything else?" He grunted impatiently.

Une's eyes gleamed. "Eager to get going, are you? Very well; I see no need to tarry any further here. Your shuttle is ready." She gestured toward the waiting vessel. "I'll alert Agent Water to gather up the rest of the team."

Heero wasn't surprised that Sally Po would be accompanying them. As a former Alliance general and medic, she offered a specific skillset that proved crucial in any battle scenario. He was more surprised to learn she was on Earth, and not overseeing the Preventers ship, the Aventinus, with Wufei, but Heero was grateful nevertheless.

His stomach lurched when he saw Raquel walking alongside Sally and several other young recruits. Raquel's eyes flashed, and she smiled briefly in Heero's direction before composing her features. Heero faced Sally with a scowl.

"Are any of these infants battle-tested?"

"Why hello, Heero. It's nice to see you, too." Sally tipped her head and smiled at him. "And I'm afraid this fresh-face crop is a little young to have fought in the Eve Wars, but they're a bright and energetic bunch, and I know they'll prove useful. Right, guys?" Sally turned around to look at the group of six cadets, three male and three female, including Raquel, all of whom made quick, sharp salutes.

"Yessir!"

Sally grinned at Heero and Zechs. "See? Aren't they cute? I love it when they call me _sir_."

Une cleared her throat. "Agent Water- a sense of decorum, please."

"Oh. Right." Sally smiled sheepishly at the commander. She turned back to the new recruits. "Let's roll out." The group filed behind Sally as she marched her way up to the shuttle. Heero caught Raquel's smug smile out of the corner of his eye. He forced his attention back to Une.

"Commander Gold," he started, "I'll be needing-"

A loud, crackling static cut through Heero's words, and a large holographic projection burst into focus in the center of the hangar. There, standing tall as a Gundam, was Relena, looking regal and nonplussed in her business suit, her hands clasped before her. A collective gasp shot through the group of agents, who quickly crowded around the projection. Heero's heart thrummed in his ears as he waited for her to speak.

Relena's icy blue eyes seemed to drill into his, and his alone, as her gentle, yet commanding voice resonated throughout the hangar.

"Everyone, please forgive me for disturbing you in your homes and businesses." She bowed her head for a beat before raising her eyes back up. "It was not my intention to address you in such an intrusive manner, but I'm afraid this present circumstance is beyond my control."

Heero's heartbeat quickened. Someone was forcing her to make this broadcast, that was clear.

Relena continued somehow, composed as ever. "As you know, since its formation fourteen years ago, the Earth Sphere Unified Nation has managed to broker peace between the Earth and Colonies." She splayed her hands. "We have dissolved borders, banned weapons and, most importantly, worked toward healing the deep-felt wounds of war. We have come together and created an understanding of who we are as people, not as Earthlings and Colonists, focusing on the things we all share in common and hold dear in our hearts."

Heero glanced over to Zechs, who looked as distressed as he felt. His former brother-in-law caught his eye and nodded resolutely.

Relena's eyes glimmered above them. "But, it pains me to say, not everyone wants peace. Fear, hate, even love can inspire acts of violence. And vengeance." Heero balled up his fists. "Although we try in earnest," Relena continued, "we do not always understand why people act in the way they do. But we must keep trying. We must continue to strive toward better understanding. And sometimes that means taking a step back. Even starting over."

"Damn it, Zechs," Heero whispered frantically, his heartbeat threatening to veer out of control. "We have to get to her." Zechs reached over and grasped his shoulder, but said nothing, his eyes focused on his sister's larger-than-life image looming above them.

Relena's voice hushed to a near-whisper, without wavering in strength. "Once, the Romefeller Foundation pressed me into service as their Queen. My reign, if you can call it that, lasted mere moments, about as long as Romefeller held control of the Earth sphere. Some would say, however, that the remnants of Romefeller continue to control the geopolitical realm, and that ESUN is simply another name for the same shadow government that has always pulled the strings." She shook her head slightly. "I cannot say in confidence that these rumors are true. Nor can I say that I am fully aware of what happens behind closed doors within this organization."

" _Huh?!"_ Several whispers erupted in the crowd, until Une barked at the group of agents.

"Silence!" They quickly hushed and gawked back up at Relena.

"I, as Foreign Minister, recognize that I have no authority to disband ESUN."

" _Disband?!"_

" _What is she saying?!"_

The murmurings ceased as, once again, Une commanded them back into silence.

"But what I _can_ do," Relena went on, "is urge the President to consider reevaluating our government's reach, perhaps launching an internal investigation on those who appear to have designs of a destructive nature." Her gaze tightened. "And that, my friends, brings me to the reason why I must address you tonight."

Heero swallowed around a lump forming in his throat. He realized Zechs was still holding him in place, but he didn't pull away, drawing a strange source of comfort from the man who had, oddly enough, become a brother to him.

"It has come to my attention that some may be developing mobile suits, specifically the Gundams," Relena said firmly. Heero and Zechs exchanged glances with Une, whose features had gone to stone. "For what purpose, I'm not sure," Relena continued. "I have just as many questions as I'm sure all of you do, at this point. But for the sake of our safety, for the Earth and Colonies, for the future of this government or any government, I am asking - if you have built a mobile suit of any kind, surrender it."

Relena blinked twice, and Heero instantly recognized her doublespeak, her signal to him. His lips tugged into a smile.

"This, again, is a matter of public safety," Relena continued. "In the name of total transparency, and peace for all, I urge you to come forward. If you are listening, you know who you are." She blinked again. "Come out from the shadows, now, while you can."

Heero smiled up at Relena as her image crackled and dissipated.

"Roger that, mission."

* * *

 _-RFP_


	9. Resistance

Relena hung her head as her broadcast ended. She was partially pleased with herself for managing to weave in her own message, but also ashamed that she had to appeal to Heero, and possibly the rest of the ex-Gundam pilots, for help. She only hoped she had done the right thing, as much as she was able. If only she knew more of what was happening, she could have issued a better warning to whoever was listening. Her heart thrummed wildly as she thought of Heero, and Ella, and the rest of her family and friends.

Bennett glared down at her. "You didn't exactly stick to the script, did you, Foreign Minister?"

Relena smiled and shook her head before tipping her chin up toward the captain. "I pride myself in speaking off the cuff. It's more natural." Her eyes flashed in defiance. "And believable."

Bennett lunged at her, seizing her by the waist, pushing her roughly up against the center console. Relena fought to free her arms, but he pinned her in place.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he sneered. Relena let out a staccato laugh and stared straight into his dark eyes.

"There are people far cleverer than me who heard that transmission, and are prepared to act." She smiled at her captor. "You should prepare to meet resistance." She broke into a grin. "Starting with me."

Relena brought her knee up and, with all the power she could muster, sent it up into his groin. He groaned and stumbled backward, dropping Relena's arms to cover his vulnerable spot. Relena took advantage of his bewilderment and threw a right hook into his jaw. It wasn't enough to overpower him, she knew, but the punch appeared to stun him. Relena darted around him, ready to make a break for it and at least get back to the main seating area of the shuttle, certain the commotion would have woken some of the passengers. But Bennett snatched her arm and yanked her back and, with a mighty thrust, tossed her to the side. Relena landed with a hard _thud_ , slamming her back against the console. She moved to rise up as soon as she fell, but Bennett reached into his captain's blazer and withdrew a handgun. He cocked and aimed his weapon. Relena froze.

"Not so fast." He smirked down at her. Relena glowered up at him.

"Go ahead," she dared him. He chuckled.

"Don't mind if I do."

Relena's eyes widened as his finger squeezed the trigger.

* * *

No sooner had the transmission faded than the hangar became a cacophony of ringing phones and frantic voices. Heero's own ancient flip phone blared in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see Ella's name on the screen. His mind worked overtime trying to figure out a way to pacify his daughter, who he expected would be panicked.

"Daddy!" she cried as soon as he picked up, and sure enough her voice shook with emotion. "What's going on?! Was that really Mom?! Is she gonna be okay?! Is that why you had to leave?!"

"Shh, Ellie," Heero murmured calmly into the phone. "Everything's going to be all right. There's just a… political situation we have to deal with. And yes, I'm going to help her. There's nothing for you to worry about. Just do whatever Aunt Noin says, and-"

"Why?" Ella was instantly suspicious. "What is she going to ask me to do?"

"I don't know," Heero said quickly, omitting what Une had said about the safe house. Selfishly, he was going to let his sister-in-law handle that one. "Just hold tight, for now, until your mother and I are back from space. Okay?"

Ella sniffed into the phone. "You're going to get her?"

"Yes, sweetheart." Heero nodded with conviction.

"Where is she now?"

"Still on her shuttle."

"Are there bad people there?"

Heero's heart twisted in agony, because he still didn't know exactly what Relena was facing, all on her own. "I… I don't know, Elle. But whoever they are… I will protect her. You know I would die for your mother. And for you."

His intended words of comfort proved to have the opposite effect.

"No, Daddy!" Ella shrieked. "Don't die!" Heero listened as she dissolved into sobs. He winced and wished he could reach out and hug her.

"I'm sorry, angel. I didn't mean it like that." Heero raked a hand through his hair, cursing himself and his finite words. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm going to take care of your mother. Okay?"

Ella sniffled again. "Okay. Please be careful, Daddy. And when you see Mom-" Her voice caught. "Tell her that I love her. Please?!"

"I will," Heero whispered, his resolve only growing stronger. "I promise."

Another incoming call beeped, and Heero glanced down to see _Duo Maxwell_ flashing across the screen. He rolled his eyes. To Ella, he said, "I have to take a work call, sweetheart. I'm sorry."

"Is it about Mom?!" His daughter sounded frightened, but hopeful.

"I think so. Look, honey, I will call you back as soon as I can."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He gripped the phone tightly in his hand. "And hey- I love you, Ella-Bella."

Ella seemed to be suppressing another sob, but managed to choke out, "I love you, too, Daddy," before they ended the call.

Grudgingly, Heero switched over to Duo. "About time," he growled.

"Hey there, He-Man!" As usual, Duo sounded annoyingly cheerful. "Gotta say, I didn't think you'd be sitting around at a time like this."

"You have some nerve," Heero seethed, "ignoring the commander's roll call." He glanced over to Une, who caught his eye and frowned. "Why are you calling me?"

"Tell her I'm sorry, and not to kill me," Duo said in a rush. "But given everything the Princess just said, I figured I should call you first."

"I'm listening," Heero barked impatiently.

"What was all that stuff about disbanding ESUN?" said Duo. "Think she was for real?"

Heero shook his head, but because Duo couldn't see him, said, "She was clearly issuing a warning. Someone put her up to it."

"I thought so. And they're after the-"

"Yup." Heero cut him off.

He could practically hear Duo's grin through the phone. "D'ya think I should take the new toy out for a spin?"

"Depends," Heero said flatly. "Are you going to be helpful or are you going to be an assclown?"

"Ah, Heero." Duo cackled maniacally. "Whaddya expect? I'm gonna go balls to the wall, psycho."

"Not so fast," Heero said tersely. "We don't even know what we're dealing with here."

"Well, tell me what you want me to do, then, and I'll do it." Duo's cheery voice took on an ominous tone. "All I know is when the Princess sends a cry of help to the Gundam pilots, we answer the call." Heero opened his mouth to interject, but Duo cut him off. "And before you say anything else, yeah, it's pretty obvious to anyone this is some sorta trap, but we can't let that stop us. She needs us, man."

Heero's jaw clenched. "I know."

"Well. Let's go then." Duo chuckled darkly. "I admit it, I've been itching for a fight."

"Why don't you call Une," Heero said sternly, "and get official orders?"

"Fine, I will. But I reserve the right to disregard them if I can think of a better way to get to Relena. You with me?"

Heero snorted. "Is that a question?"

Duo chuckled. "Of course. Duh. How silly of me. Anything at all for the one you love, am I right?"

"Just tell me what you plan to do," Heero glowered.

"Simple. I'm gonna fly like a bat outta hell over to L3. Gotta problem with that?"

"That depends on what you plan to do once you're there." Heero's mouth creased into a frown. "Will you engage Relena's shuttle?"

"If I have to, yeah. I was gonna cloak myself and sneak up on it."

"That'll work," said Heero. "But at this rate Barton will beat you there. He should already be en route, by now."

"Dammit, Barton," Duo grumbled. "I guess I can play nice, if I have to. But you know I don't like sharing my treats."

Heero let out a huff of irritation. "Take a back seat to Barton on this one. He's going to be the one engaging the shuttle first, most likely. He has orders to subdue it and board. Communicate with Une and then touch base with Trowa immediately afterward."

"Sir, yessir!" Duo barked. Heero rolled his eyes again, as he so often did with the self-styled "God of Death."

"I have a shuttle to board," Heero muttered. "So get lost."

"What?!" Duo screeched. "Are you nuts?! You're taking a _shuttle_?! From Earth?! Is this the freaking stone age?!"

Heero sighed. "One mobile suit should be enough, for now. Remember, they're not supposed to know we have them."

"That's the dumbest thing I ever h-"

"Gotta go. Over and out." Heero snapped his flip phone shut and strode over to Une, who had been watching him. "That was our erstwhile Gundam pilot zero-two," he reported in a flat voice.

"Yes." The commander's lips curved up in a smile. "So I heard. He's ready to mobilize?"

"Affirmative. I told him to rendezvous with Barton."

"Excellent," Une said smoothy. "Then the rest of you should be good to go. Prepare for launch." She gave Heero a salute, a force of habit, and he returned the gesture, just for the hell of it. He turned back to where Zechs stood, speaking in hushed tones into the phone.

"Yes… that's right… okay, good. Thank you, my love." He squeezed his eyes shut as he hung up the phone. Then he turned toward Heero, opening his eyes to reveal silver slits. "That was Noin," he said needlessly. "She and the kids are doing fine. She's agreed to let the agents take them to the safe house."

Heero nodded. "Good."

Zechs spun on his heel and marched toward the shuttle. "Let's not waste any more time, then." Heero hung back as Zechs bounded up the ramp.

"You go on ahead," said Heero. Zechs whirled on him, his light eyes flashing.

"What?!" he snarled. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm going alone," Heero said calmly, turning his back to his former brother-in-law and the shuttle.

"In what?!" Zechs bellowed from behind him. Heero smirked over his shoulder.

"In Zero."

* * *

 _A/N: Does this chapter answer some of your questions, or perhaps raise more? I hate to say you'll have to wait and see, but..._

 _We're just getting started._

 _Happy hump day!_

 _\- RFP_


	10. A Time to Act

A/N: Happy Sunday Funday! Hope you enjoy this little update. Once again I want to give a shout out to all of the fabulous guest reviewers who never cease to make my day with all your positive feedback... that goes for all the usual readers as well! I love you all!

Onward!

\- RFP

* * *

So Heero had lied to Duo. He wasn't sure why, other than he felt extremely protective of the third iteration of his mobile suit. And as he and his fellow Preventers were formulating their rescue mission on the spot, he decided the less others knew about the new Wing Zero, the better. When it came to dealing with terrorists, or whoever it was that had taken over Relena's shuttle and forced her to call out the Gundam pilots, well…

Heero was counting on the element of surprise.

His lips twitched as he watched Zechs's expression go from bewildered to enraged.

"Like hell you will," the former Lightning Count growled, swiftly dismounting the shuttle ramp and stomping back over to Heero. "Have you even taken her out for a test flight?"

Heero smirked in response. "What do you think?"

"I think," Zechs said through clenched teeth, "that you ought to follow orders, and stop screwing around." His eyes darted back to the shuttle. "We stick together on this one. If you let them see the Gundam now, you'll be playing into their hands."

Heero's eyes tightened. "I don't let anyone see it. That's the point."

"So what, you're just going to attack?! With my sister onboard?!" Zechs's eyes burned. "Don't be foolish."

Heero glanced around them before addressing Zechs again. "Pilot Zero-Two is going on ahead. He'll wait for my signal. By then Zero-Three will have already boarded the shuttle, and we can rescue the hostages at our leisure." His eyes hardened, daring the other man to question him. "Do you copy?"

Zechs's eyes glittered. He crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a condescending gaze upon the younger man. "Your plan has too much improvisation and, therefore, room for error."

"We may have to improvise," Heero hissed. "We may not have a choice."

Zechs rolled his eyes to the ceiling before flicking them back down to Heero. "And in the meantime, where the hell is Wufei?"

"Circling in the Aventinus. We'll load the hostages on there, once we've annihilated the enemy." Heero's eyes sparked. "Copy that?"

Zechs turned his head and scoffed under his breath. "I think you're being cocky, and not thinking things through before you go charging into space."

Heero's nostrils flared. "There's a time to think, and there's a time to act. Now is time to act."

"You're _acting_ irresponsibly," Zechs countered. "I won't allow you to concoct some half-baked scheme on the spot." His eyes simmered. "That's my _sister_ out there."

"She's my wife," Heero growled, tipping his chin up to the taller man.

"Used to be," Zechs seethed, taking a mighty step forward and bearing down on Heero. "But you left."

Heero reached up and grabbed Zechs's jacket by the collar and half-lifted the taller man off the ground. Zechs snatched Heero's hands and pried them away, stepping back on the balls of his feet with ease. Before Heero could respond, Zechs pulled back his arm and swung with surety. Heero's reflexes were quick, but no match for the Lightning Count's speed, and Zechs's fist swiftly connected with Heero's jaw. Heero stumbled back, holding his chin and glaring up at Zechs morosely, all the while welcoming the sting.

"Fine," Heero spat as his jaw throbbed. "I deserved that."

"Heero! Zechs!" Une stormed over to them, thrown enough to drop their codenames. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"This imbecile wants to take Zero out," Zechs snapped to Une, who instantly paled.

"No, Heero." The commander dropped her voice. "It's too soon to reveal ourselves. You heard what Relena said? It sounds like that's exactly what they want. Whoever 'they' are." Une's mouth hardened into a firm line. "We don't have enough information to go and engage an unseen enemy with the Gundams," she said quietly. "Not yet. If we're not careful…" She glanced around furtively, as if she cared who might be listening. "This incident could spark a civil war."

Heero matched the commander's firm gaze. "Then get me a carrier," he said. "I'll follow behind the shuttle with Zero, and I'll only attack if necessary." Une was already shaking her head.

"I've already given you our fastest shuttle. If you want to reach Relena quickly, you have no other choice."

"I have Zero."

"And it will be here, waiting for you," Une said sternly. Heero looked back up at her with burning eyes.

"Send someone else with it, then," he pleaded, his desperation growing. "I don't care. But we need it." He worked to soften his expression, looking imploringly at his commander. "Please." It had to be his least favorite word. Besides "ex."

Une continued to glare at him, but Heero thought he detected a twitch of some sort. Before she could answer his plea, a ringing phone sliced into the tense silence between the three Preventers. Une reached into her jacket pocket and answered the video call.

"Agent Delta," she said smoothly. Heero watched as her face went another shade paler. "Quatre, what's wrong?!"

Heero quickly maneuvered so that he could see Une's phone over her shoulder. Beside him, Zechs did the same. Quatre's normally serene eyes were wide and troubled, red-rimmed with tears.

"Heero!" the blond man cried out upon seeing his comrade's face on the screen. "Oh, Heero…" Quatre's face crumpled. "I'm so sorry..." The words came out choked and ragged. Heero's entire body went rigid. He let Une continue to do the talking.

"Quatre, what's happening?"

"I-it's Relena," Quatre sputtered. His eyes were growing wilder by the second. Heero reached down and snatched the phone away from Une.

"Spit it out," he commanded his friend. Something squeezed Heero's chest and he felt he might explode. "Quatre, tell me!"

Quatre clutched at his own chest, as if he felt the exact same pain. Heero was about to beg Quatre to speak once more, but words began to tumble from the blond man's lips.

"I felt her fear," Quatre whispered, his eyes haunted and hollow. "And her pain. And then…" He choked back a sob. "Then... I couldn't feel her at all." Heero gripped the phone until his knuckles turned white.

"No!" he shouted, his own eyes bulging."Try again," he urged. "Find her."

Quatre's voice hitched. "I-I have been trying, Heero. Sometimes I think I can feel her, but she's fading." His eyes widened again, as if a fresh wave of pain roiled him that very instant. "Go, Heero," he whispered, his eyes pleading. "Quickly."

Heero swung desperate eyes to Une, whose face must have mirrored his shock. But he'd already decided, this time, he wasn't going to ask her permission. He tossed the phone back at her and bolted from the hangar.

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	11. Wings

_A/N: Hey guys! I don't know about you, but I'm seriously happy it's #humpday. And I'm happy to give you another update to this crazy little story. Sorry to keep you in suspense! But, then, that's kind of the idea... ;)_

 _Some of you have asked me about my other current story,_ The Agreement. _Rest assured that I plan to update that again in the near future; it's just on a brief hiatus... think of it like a TV series. I hope you'll stay tuned for the next season!_

 _And, as always, thank you for all of your support!_

 _Okay, I get it, blah blah blah, lady, on to the story! ;)_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Heero raced down the corridor that separated the main hangar from the bunker where he'd hidden Zero. Only he and Une knew of the suit's exact location, and he preferred to keep it that way. He fought to keep his emotions under control as he ran, even though he knew those very emotions were driving him.

He had resisted, at first, when he had first been approached by ESUN to redesign and rebuild all five Gundams. He and the other four former pilots had even met to discuss the matter in secret, each sharing their own personal reservations. Even more reluctantly, Heero had brought Zechs into the fold, but the former White Fang leader balked at their plans, and that only added to the strain between the former brothers-in-law. It was only after Heero's divorce from Relena was finalized that he decided to go ahead with the redesigns, and he had spent the last four years perfecting the new Gundams down to the finest detail.

Naturally, he'd had to keep the whole thing hidden from Relena, not only because he anticipated her disapproval, but for the sake of her personal safety. Any knowledge she had would only be a liability. But now Heero's darkest fear had come to fruition, despite his calculated subterfuge. And yet... Relena had all but winked at him during her speech - he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, those blinks were for him - indicating that, all along, she knew. She had to have known. He tried to draw courage from that instead of thinking the worst, but after seeing Quatre's panic, that was proving difficult.

Heero came to a steel door with a control panel. He entered his required biometric data before punching in his long, complicated access code and bursting into the bunker, all the while aware that someone was tracking him. The only ones he suspected would have the gall - or clearance - to do so would be Une or Zechs, but Heero planned to fire up Zero's thrusters before either one of them could attempt to talk any sense into him. There was no sense in any of it, he realized. He was blinded by white, hot rage, and something else that frayed at the edges of his psyche. Something that felt a lot like fear. But he wouldn't allow himself to give in to that.

Not yet.

Heero stopped at a row of lockers and entered another code to open his, where he pulled out a space suit and helmet. He dressed quickly and raced over to the large, black tarp that concealed his mobile suit, an obvious disguise to anyone who had ever seen a Gundam in person. The tarp just barely covered the machine's feet. He pulled down a rope that hung off to the side and watched the tarp fall, clinging to the sudden surge of comfort and relief that filled him as he gazed up at the gleaming, all white, humanoid machine.

It was a rebuild of the custom upgrade he'd outfitted Wing Zero with just before the Mariemaia Incident in A.C. 196. The suits were identical, apart from the lack of color, the new model likewise sporting a pair of metallic feathered wings. Which his brothers in arms had given him a hard time about when, months ago, Zero had its grand unveiling, for their eyes only.

" _Ooooooh!"_ Duo had squealed in a high-pitched, feminine voice. " _Fancy!"_

" _Do they even_ do _anything?"_ Wufei had asked in a mocking tone. " _Or are they just for show?"_

Quatre and Trowa had been slightly more supportive, if not skeptical.

" _I mean, they look nice,"_ Quatre insisted with a nervous laugh.

" _I'm interested to see how they affect aerodynamics,"_ Trowa mused.

Gundanium alloy was a strong but flexible material, so the wings did, in fact, serve more than a decorative purpose. Although Heero had told his fellow pilots, after that first upgrade, that he'd added the wings just for fun- his version of a joke. But the curved wings worked in harmony with Zero's boosters to provide thrust vectoring, allowing for better mobility, and, most importantly, increased speed.

So the answer to Trowa's question was, yes, the wings made Zero faster. _Fast_ was exactly what Heero needed, now.

He kicked the Gundam's right foot to release the mecha's retractable cable, then grabbed it and allowed himself to be pulled up to the cockpit ramp. He stepped inside the cockpit and sat, grasping the familiar controls and feeling another flood of relief, until he heard the door to the bunker beep as it opened. He sighed inwardly and glanced down to the floor.

Sure enough, Zechs, clad in a spacesuit of his own, was racing toward Heero and the Gundam.

"What are you doing?!" Heero growled. "Shouldn't you have left by now?"

"I'm coming with you!" Zechs called up to him. "In Zero."

Heero balked at his former brother-in-law. "It wasn't built for two."

"Perhaps you should have thought of _that_ when you designed this upgrade." Zechs grabbed hold of the connected cable and swung himself up to the cockpit, where the ramp was still jutting out. Heero blinked up at Zechs where he stood. "Regardless, I'm going." Zechs glowered. "I'm not one to keep my sister waiting. And if anything happens to her, I'm holding you accountable."

Heero let out a huff inside his helmet, the visor still open. "Is that right," he deadpanned.

Zechs leaned so that he was half-inside the cockpit. "You shouldn't have let her go."

Heero didn't know if he was referring to the divorce, the flight, or both. He dodged the accusation with a turn of his head. "Relena is a stubborn woman."

Zechs was nonplussed. "Sometimes, a man needs to assert himself."

"Yeah." Heero resisted the urge to snort derisively. "That would have gone over well…"

Zechs just glared down at Heero. "Move over." Heero ignored the command as he pulled the five-point harness over his shoulders.

"No way." He tipped his chin up toward Zechs. " _You'd_ better move, unless you want to fall."

Before Zechs could attempt to fold himself inside the cockpit, Heero pushed the controls and the ramp turned up to seal him inside. Zechs was forced to jump out of the way. He caught the railing of the walkway that technicians - chiefly Heero - utilized while working on the Gundams and glared over at Heero as the Gundam closed.

"Shouldn't have refused the Epyon rebuild when you had the chance..." Heero smirked.

He fired up the mecha's booster pods, initiating the launch sequence. The roof to the bunker slid open, revealing the black sky, the stars and lights from the colonies barely visible to the naked eye. Space beckoned like a dark, silken sheet, and, despite his anxiety over Relena, Heero looked forward to plunging into its cold, familiar depths.

Heero cast a sidelong look at Zechs, who was hoisting himself over the railing and onto the walkway. He was also yelling unintelligible things up at the Gundam - probably a string of expletives - that Heero was grateful he couldn't hear. One less thing to worry about. He could deal with Zechs later.

At that moment, another former Peacecraft was his top priority.

Hell, she always was.

Heero muttered a terse goodbye to Zechs as the boosters roared to life, and Wing Zero blasted into the night sky.

* * *

 _P.S. The alternative title to this chapter is "Gundam Porn." Because, ya know, Heero doesn't like just anyone touching his mobile suit..._

 _Bow-chicka-wow-wow! ;)_

 _\- RFP_


	12. Broken Vows

_A/N: Another Sunday Funday is upon us! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, and happy father's day to those of you celebrating your dads, granddads, husbands or any special dads you know and love. In light of that, today's chapter touches more on Heero's role as a father... It's also on the longer side to make up for some of the more recent chapters being so short! I hope you enjoy!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Relena clutched her hand to her side. Her skin was becoming warm and sticky with her own blood. The blast from Bennett's handgun had been such a shock, the pain barely registered. Instead, Relena was struck by a cruel irony. Time and time again she had stared down the barrel of a gun, but had never actually been shot. As she realized this, pain tore through her abdomen and, despite her best efforts, she moaned in agony.

Bennett was saying something to her in sickly sweet tones, no doubt in mock sympathy, but his words, whatever they were, swam around Relena's head.

"You… didn't shoot to kill…" she muttered weakly, her mind growing hazier as the seconds ticked by.

"No, not this time," Bennett sighed, dropping to his knees beside her. "You got a little out of sorts, though." Relena saw him smirk through blurry eyes. "Better behave from now on."

She lifted her head to nod, but it lolled backward.

"Come on, then." She felt Bennett hoisting her up by her armpits. "Better get you stitched up. You'll want to stay awake," he added, his tone jeering. "The fun's just getting started..."

Relena swayed against his hold, willing her legs to cooperate. She had no choice but to stagger after her captor.

* * *

Heero was pushing Zero to its limits. At the very least, it would take him hours, still, to reach the L3 colony cluster. Hours he didn't have to spare. His mind whirred with possibilities, trying not to focus on the worst, but as usual, Zero made that impossible. The interface had shown Heero every potential outcome, and none of them were reassuring. It almost felt as if Zero were taunting him as image after image of a battered, bloodied Relena flashed before his mind's eye.

He was working to fixate on something - anything - else when the Gundam's center console lit up with an incoming call. One of the Preventer shuttles. Heero didn't bother to check which one as he accepted the call.

"Heero." Raquel's soft, alto voice filled the cockpit, her hazel eyes boring into him from the screen. Then, apparently realizing she'd broken protocol, she addressed him more formally. "Agent Alpha," she corrected herself in a more stilted voice. "This is Agent Morena." Raquel, as a fledgling Preventer, didn't yet have a codename. "Do you copy?" Heero's eyes snapped to the monitor.

"What do you want?" he barked. "I'm busy."

"I know," she said calmly. "But I'm the communications officer onboard, so it's my job to check in with you. Our shuttle has left the Earth's atmosphere and, according to our calculations, isn't too far behind your suit. At this rate we should reach the L3 region around the same time."

"Not if I can help it," Heero muttered. Raquel clucked her tongue.

"I see. We'll do our best to catch up to you, then."

"Good luck with that," Heero grumbled. To his chagrin, Raquel chuckled softly. "Something funny?" he snapped.

"No, it's just amusing to see you in battle mode," she said, her eyes shining through the screen. "It's a side of you I've never seen before. You're usually much... friendlier to me." Heero lowered his eyes, somewhat chastised.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I… am not myself at the moment."

"I think you are," Raquel countered. "You'd do anything to get to Relena, I know. No matter who you have to push aside in the process." Heero glanced back up, expecting to see an angry or jealous expression, but Raquel's gaze was calm. Compassionate, even. For some reason her caring only served to annoy him more. He didn't need her pity, or anyone else's.

"You don't understand," he said sullenly.

"I understand more than you know," Raquel said, her eyes closing as she sighed. "Do what you have to do, Heero. But please... be careful."

Heero grunted a response, knowing he had no intention of following her request, and ended the transmission. Communications officer or no, the only other agents he planned to communicate with on this mission were his fellow Gundam pilots. Including Zechs, if his former brother-in-law had gotten over their earlier confrontation. At least Heero knew that Zechs had more at stake in this mission than the likes of Raquel. He wished she had stayed on Earth. He didn't need the distraction.

As he maneuvered Zero past the lunar base, he briefly considered how Raquel might feel, being part of this mission to rescue her lover's ex-wife. Heero detested the term "lover" almost as much as "ex," but it was the aptest way to describe his entanglement with the younger agent. She was little more than a source of release to him - he could hardly say they were friends, even - and she purportedly understood that, but chose to stay by his side despite his indifference. Heero struggled, at times, to repay her kindnesses to him, while she basked in what little attention he paid her. He didn't understand it, but then it was bothersome to try to understand women.

At first he thought of Raquel as merely another conquest, one of a string of drunken one-night stands he'd embarked on in his quest to forget Relena. That tactic proved futile. The fact that those other women _weren't_ Relena made it impossible to form attachments, let alone feel good about what he was doing. And, although he wouldn't admit it to the likes of Duo, who was still married, somehow, or Trowa, the known lothario in their circle, Heero hadn't enjoyed the random, meaningless sex as he thought he would.

" _All women are the same in the dark,"_ someone - probably Barton - had told him, but Heero found it simply wasn't true. No matter how many notches he'd added to his bedpost - and, if the boasting he'd heard from fellow male agents was to be believed, weren't all that many compared to other men his age - nothing could compare to what he had with Relena. She had his soul. Not even their broken vows could change that. They were supposed to be forever, an oath he had planned on taking to his grave.

Heero still struggled, as he'd always struggled, to connect with others. He met Raquel shortly after she'd joined the Preventers the previous summer and started training under Sally. Heero was unnerved to discover how much Raquel reminded him of Relena; not in her looks so much as her mannerisms, her way of speaking. Her quiet strength and resolve in the face of conflict. Her secret thrill for danger. Traits they had in common. To his surprise, they formed a bond and, before he knew it, they had taken their mutual attraction to the next level. But Heero knew he could never forge a deep enough connection to promise his life to her. Her affection was but a balm for wounds he still carried. For all of the giddy pillow talk she whispered into the dark, Heero couldn't bring himself to give her the desires of her heart.

He had informed Raquel bluntly, not too long ago, that he would never remarry. She had stormed off, slamming his bedroom door behind her. Heero hadn't bothered to chase after her. She returned an hour or so later after sobbing in his bathroom, something else he had ignored. He made no apologies for his admission and found he couldn't feel sorry for her; he had been honest, and whatever she decided based on that was her choice. He thought perhaps that would be their undoing, but Raquel stuck around, undeterred. And Heero, weak as he was, had continued to seek solace in her arms, no matter how selfish or depraved it made him feel.

As Heero continued to guide Zero through the atmosphere, racing against time, his thoughts kept flowing back to Relena. His ultimate weakness. It was no secret, even to her, he was sure, that he still loved her. That he had never stopped. He suspected even Zechs knew it, and that gave the blond man yet another reason to despise Heero. The two men had never truly become close, even as official family members, both taking their in-law status in stride. But Heero couldn't shake the feeling that Zechs still expected more from him.

Zechs's words from the bunker came back to Heero. " _Sometimes, a man needs to assert himself."_

Clearly he still blamed Heero for walking out on his sister. Heero wondered what Relena must have told him. Despite her disappointment in him, Heero couldn't peg her as the bitter type. He imagined she had kept the details of their divorce to herself, and her brother had merely filled in the blanks, coming to a conclusion that suited his own misgivings about Heero. Which, frankly, Heero didn't care about. He was fine with being the scapegoat; he didn't need to vindicate himself to anyone. Except for Ella; but he knew, for whatever reason, his daughter thought the world of him.

He and Ellie had a bond and a quiet understanding that surprised even Heero. He felt it the first time he laid eyes on her in the hospital room. His first concern had been for Relena, who was sweaty and exhausted after her hours-long labor. But after the nurses had cleaned off their newborn and handed her, swathed in a terry blanket, to Heero… in that instant, he knew. Another blue-eyed blonde had stolen his heart.

From there, he and Ella were practically inseparable. Heero's urge to protect her was just as strong as his impulse toward Relena. At first he was surprised that he could feel that way about another person besides his wife. Also unexpected was how quickly parenting instincts came to him; Heero knew not even Relena had expected him to take to his new role so well. She was a natural as a mother, and Heero had planned to simply follow her lead. But as Ella grew older, his protective instincts only increased, and with that came more structure and discipline, albeit with a measured dose of humor. No matter what restrictions or punishments he imposed as Ellie had her rebellious moments - which Heero knew would only ramp up over the next few years - it was clear that she adored him. And that was undoubtedly why Relena had insisted that she and Heero do their best to co-parent Ellie. Which had been going well, considering...

Still, Heero yearned for the life they used to have, as a family, even though things weren't bad between him and Relena, now. They got along, at least. The first year or so after the divorce had been the hardest, and although Heero still missed Relena, he was focused on fortifying a friendship with her. After a while, they were able to converse almost as easily as they had before their conversations started disintegrating into vicious fights. Now, it was almost as if neither one of them could remember what they were fighting about in the first place.

Heero thought of when he last saw Relena, mere hours ago. She'd had that certain sparkle in her eyes as she looked up at him, tossing out whatever teasing words she had said to provoke him. Knowing full well she would always, always get a rise out of him. He wished he had run after her, pulled her to him and kissed her goodbye. No- that he'd insisted she stay there, with him.

Zechs was right. He shouldn't have let her go.

He also knew she would have gone, anyway.

Heero took one hand off of his controls and reached for his cell phone. How tempting it was to call her number, but he knew it wasn't wise. If he managed to reach her, it would only draw attention to her. And she was likely locked in a struggle with her captors, if- Heero squeezed his eyes shut. His mind wasn't ready to go there. Instead, he scrolled through archived text messages. He had to go back five years to find one that wasn't related to an Ella pick-up or drop-off. He smiled when he landed on one that was particularly suggestive. And then he remembered the voicemails.

He had saved plenty of them, and it took mere seconds to locate one from before life started to unravel. Heero found a favorite old message and hit _play._

" _Hi baby, how are you? I miss you so much. I hope the mission is going well, and you're staying safe. I'm pretty swamped with work over here, as usual. We have a meeting tonight that will probably be on the contentious side, so I expect it to run rather late. I just didn't want you to worry, in case you call and don't get a hold of me right away. The security team is doing a fine job, so there's nothing to worry about there. But please… come home to me soon, sweetheart. Ellie misses you, but I'm pretty sure I miss you more. It's rather lonely in bed without you, night after night… Ugh, I could go on forever, I know, but I'd better let you go. Please call whenever you can, okay?"_ He heard her sigh. " _Okay, honey, I love you. Goodbye."_

Heero's throat tightened as the message ended. He immediately hit _replay._

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	13. Dear Friends

_A/N: Dear readers, happy hump day! Thank you once again to all the reviewers, both regulars and guests! Although I'm sure some of you guest commenters_ are _regulars... I won't push you to log-in, but I wish you would so I can reach out! I love "hearing" your thoughts on this story. Quite a few of you have some very strong opinions on Heero and his post-divorce activities! But don't judge him too harshly... he's been through a lot!_

 _I can't promise drama-free waters ahead... because then this would get boring. ;) Hope you enjoy today's installment and that your week is going well!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Wing Zero blazed past the L1 colony cluster, and Heero was pleased with how the newly outfitted wings responded as he tested the speed of the thrusters. He was making good time compared to past space travels, but was frustrated that the Gundam lacked the ability to shift into hyperdrive. He wished he'd reached the L3 cluster hours ago.

But there was at least one agent who was already in the area, and Heero trusted he was in position by now. He tapped his fingers across the console's keyboard and connected to the Preventer shuttle that had departed from L3.

"Speak of the devil." Trowa's angular face, half-concealed by his long bangs, peered at Heero on the screen. "I was just thinking about you, old friend. I'm approaching ESUN flight A-65's vicinity. I understand there's a certain beautiful diplomat onboard who may require my assistance?"

Heero's mouth was dry from the stilted air in the cockpit. It had been a long time since he'd last spoken out loud, but he managed to coax his voice into use. "Have you heard from Quatre?"

"No," said Trowa. "Why?"

"Do me a favor and touch base with him before you proceed," Heero said warily.

"You might as well tell me now." As usual, Barton didn't waste any time.

"Quatre… thinks Relena… was hurt," Heero said slowly. "He said he sensed her, but then he couldn't…"

"I see," Trowa said evenly, his features remaining impassive. "That happens with Quatre sometimes, you know. But not all of his premonitions come to fruition. The future may yet be altered."

"Is it the future or present?" Heero grumbled. "Or past, now?"

"I'll find out for you when I board that shuttle," Trowa said calmly. "How would you like me to proceed?"

Heero wondered why both Trowa and Duo had come to him for instructions, instead of Une, as if he were their de facto leader. "What are your orders?" he asked.

"To await your signal," Trowa answered. "I'm ready to act. Say the word."

Heero wondered exactly what the acrobat had in mind. "You're going to overtake their shuttle?"

"Yes."

"With our without firearms?"

"I'm afraid I didn't have time to outfit this shuttle with any of Heavyarms' features," Trowa replied. Heero frowned.

"Why didn't you take the Gundam?"

"I was closer to the spaceport when Une called and told me to procure a shuttle. The word 'Gundam' never came up, by the way." Heero surmised as much, based on Une's earlier disinclination. "I gathered what agents I could and did as I was told."

"How many of there are you?" Heero asked.

"Four, myself included."

Heero's frown deepened, wondering if Trowa's team would be enough to overtake the hijackers. "How do you plan to pull this off?"

"Simple," said Trowa, a smile cracking his facade. "I'll ram their shuttle with mine. We'll board them, pirate-style." His one visible eye glinted mischievously. "I'll round up the attackers and, once the Aventinus arrives, cart our new prisoners over to the ship. Then we can pump them for information, or whatever else you have planned." Trowa paused for a beat. "Or make them suffer the repercussions of their actions, depending…"

Heero couldn't bear to think of what those might be. He shook his head and refocused. "You have weapons, then?"

"Heero," Trowa admonished. "Remember who you're talking to..."

"Right." Heero frowned. "You're going in blind, though."

"That suits me just fine." Trowa shrugged a nonchalant shoulder. "I'm just there to subdue the hijackers and rescue Relena and the other passengers. Correct? Just another day in the office."

"You might not get that far on your own," Heero grunted.

"We'll see about that." Trowa sounded as determined as Heero felt. "I'll do whatever it takes to save our girl."

"Our girl, huh?" Heero's brows lifted of their own accord.

"That's right," Trowa continued, unabashed. "I know you still care for Relena, Heero, but she is also my dear friend. I won't let anyone hurt her." His gaze tightened. "Do I have permission to kill anyone who might stand in my way?"

Heero was surprised by the circus performer's sudden vitriol. "You don't, no. That's not an order." Heero's own eyes narrowed. "But, if you see fit… Go ahead."

Trowa nodded once. "Thanks. I will. You have nothing to worry about."

The transmission ended. Heero wondered when Trowa and Relena had become "friends," let alone "dear" ones, but reminded himself the other man's comment was irrelevant. All that mattered was that Trowa would soon be onboard the ESUN shuttle. He would be the first of their team to find Relena.

A chill seized Heero. Even as he worked to remain outwardly calm, he was terrified of what Trowa might find.

* * *

Somehow, on that hijacked shuttle-turned-warship, Relena had made a friend.

It was something she tended to do, in these situations. There was always someone, she found, who had been coerced into doing dastardly things, and her eyes always sought out the compassionate ones who had become lost in the crowd. They were drawn to her and she managed to pull them from the shadows, elicit their sympathy, and use it to propel herself into a better strategic position.

In this case, that person was Graham.

She had almost forgotten about him. Graham, the young man who had looked panicked, earlier, after the blonde woman, Alicia, had first approached Relena, demanding she surrender her phone, along with the gun she'd managed to pull from her sleeping bodyguard. Graham, who had made some sarcastic quip about the ship's captain.

"So _you're_ the captain?" she whispered as he finished cutting her stitches, which he'd sewn into her abdomen himself.

He nodded, not quite meeting her eyes, as he completed his handiwork, adding a large white bandage on top. "I'm surprised they've left me back here with you, although it turns out I'm the only one with any medical training."

"You look young, for a captain," she observed, instantly regretting it. She was young, too, for her role. But Graham glanced up shyly at her and smiled.

"I'm almost thirty, like you," he said. "I fought in the Eve Wars."

"You did?" Relena gasped.

"Yes. For the Alliance."

"What rank?"

"I was an ensign. Under Major Sally Po in East Asia." Relena's heart thudded.

"She's my friend."

Graham smiled warmly at her. "We have that in common." He dropped his voice. "I didn't want to do this, like I said. Th-they threatened my wife and daughter. Something tells me they did something to them, anyway, even though I cooperated." Relena's stomach lurched. "I don't even know if they're safe." Graham hung his head.

Relena rested her hand on his trembling arm. "When we get out of here, I'll help you find them. I promise." Graham squeezed his hand over hers.

"Thank you, Relena," he whispered. "I'll do what I can to help you, but I'm afraid I'm not much of a match for this Bennett guy." Graham grimaced. "He's easily twice my size."

Relena's eyes swam. "We have the force of an army, once the other passengers wake up. That's twenty-six to four." Graham's frown deepened.

"It's a pretty potent sedative they used. The effects can linger for twelve hours or so. I'm afraid it might be a while yet."

Relena's brow furrowed. "Why would they use such a powerful drug? What was the purpose?"

"Besides kidnapping you?" Graham shrugged a shoulder. "All I know is they forced me to surrender my shuttle and I agreed to do whatever they asked, in exchange for my family's safety." Relena's mind whirred, trying to piece together a possible plot, but her imagination was far from machiavellian. It took a certain kind of person to think in that way. She wished she could pick her brother's brain, of all things.

"Who do you think their target is?" she asked Graham quietly, her eyes searching his.

"I don't know." His brow furrowed. "I thought since this was a hijacking, they would crash this shuttle into something. The ESUN conference center on L4, perhaps. I was surprised when they diverted it instead."

"Hmm." Relena tried to lace her thoughts together, but her hazy mind refused to cooperate fully, still processing the pain from her gunshot wound.

"No way they would do something like that with you on board," Graham mused. "I'm sure you're of more use to them alive."

"What for?" Relena whispered. "I already made that little speech for them. They could dispose of me at any time."

Graham's eyes were deep and woeful, reminding her of a sad puppy. "Why would anyone want to do that to you? You're the enduring symbol of peace for our world." She smiled kindly at him.

"You were a soldier, Graham. You understand how these things work." She sighed. "Everyone has an agenda…"

He shook his head firmly. "I could never understand war. I only fought because I had to." He paused and frowned as if a new thought was coming to him. "But… that thing you said about the Gundams, earlier… Could they be using you as leverage to get to the Gundam pilots? Assuming there are any, still?"

Relena held her tongue. She wasn't going to divulge anything to this man, friendly as he was. She knew better than to fully trust even the kindest eyes. "Tell me, Graham," she said, changing tack. "Do you and Sally keep in touch?"

"No, not really," he answered, seemingly oblivious to her pivot. "Most of us have just tried to move on with our lives. I understand she's been with the Preventers a long time, though. I thought about joining myself, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I like commercial piloting better." His eyes turned wistful. "At least, I did. I always knew something like this could happen, though, you know? I knew I got lucky, surviving the war. And once ESUN formed and people like you helped bring about peace, and it actually stuck, I figured I was safe. Figured we all were."

Relena smiled sadly and nodded. Her job also came with risks. Having Heero as the head of her security all those years had helped mitigate them. Her heart throbbed as she realized he was probably blaming himself for her capture, but she wondered if even he could have prevented this. She knew, if he had been there with her, _he_ would be the one getting stitched up, having caught a bullet for her. But Relena never wanted Heero to make that sacrifice for her. And so she had made the difficult decision, when she'd first started investigating the trafficking ring, to keep him in the dark. She had convinced herself it would be better if he didn't know; he would have fought her on getting involved in the first place, and then she wouldn't have been able to uncover as much as she had. She and her team were close to identifying several suspects, some of whom were ESUN officials.

Despite the hard-fought attempts to keep the fragile peace going, there were always cracks in the foundation. Relena did her best to mend them along the way. But the deeper she dug into the dark secrets of ESUN, the more she knew she was putting herself - and her family - at risk. She had only hoped she would live long enough to see her daughter graduate high school- something Relena's adoptive father hadn't gotten to do. Even better, if she could see Ellie get married, and start a family of her own-

She knew Heero had these thoughts as well, but he was determined to live, anyway. Relena remembered something he said to her during one of their heated arguments, after she had accused him of marrying her out of obligation.

" _Yes, I did,"_ he said hotly. " _Because I am obligated to you, Relena. I owe you my life, because you gave me mine. You gave me a purpose. I got you pregnant, but first, I fell in love with you. You gave me Ellie and I fell in love all over again. You became my world, both of you. I never planned to live past my teens, but you gave me a renewed sense of purpose. Something to live for, to protect. I am nothing without you, Relena."_

Relena felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes and let them fall, unchecked. Graham reached to a nearby table full of medical supplies and handed her a tissue. She accepted it wordlessly and dabbed at her eyes.

"I have something that may make you feel better," Graham said quietly. He reached inside his blazer and withdrew a phone. Relena gasped. _Her_ phone. "I know you were talking to someone earlier… Why don't you call your family, and let them know you're all right?"

Relena took her phone with trembling hands. "They'll trace the signal," she said more to herself than to him.

"These idiots? Unlikely." Graham scoffed. "Anyway, no one will do anything if they don't know. I'll keep an eye out for you." He tipped his head toward the phone. "Go ahead."

Relena looked up at him gratefully as she clutched her phone, the flat plastic and glass object more precious to her than she'd ever realized. It was truly her hope, now; her lifeline. She whispered a heartfelt "thank you" before tapping on the last call she'd placed.

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	14. Last Communication

_A/N: Wow, you guys really know how to make a girl feel special! I wanted to post another update in honor of hitting 100 reviews, but now we're at 101! CRAZY! You guys are awesome! So here's another update... I'm_ really _excited about where this story is going, and I hope you are, too. Thanks for sticking with me!_

 _Love love love,_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Heero's phone had been keeping him company during his flight. With the Wing Zero on autopilot, his hands were free to scroll through old text messages and replay Relena's voicemails until he thought he might go mad. And so, when his phone rang shrilly in the silent cockpit, displaying _her_ name on the caller ID, he thought he must have already lost his mind.

He answered before he could talk himself out of it, knowing it could be a trap or a trick or some cruel combination of both, and pressed the phone to his ear. He said nothing but listened, and heard a voice coming out in shallow breaths. _Is this some kind of sick joke?!_

"Heero," she breathed. No, it was her. _Her_ voice. "Heero? Are you there?"

"Relena." Relief poured over him like a baptism. "Is this a dream? Are you real?"

Her voice caught, on a sob or a laugh, he wasn't sure. "I'm here," she whispered. "How are you?"

 _How am_ I?! He wanted to yell at her, but refrained. There were things he needed to know and he didn't know how much time they had. "What's going on? What's happened?"

"They… they made me give that speech," she said, her voice hushed. "Which I'm sure you saw."

"Yes," Heero said quickly. "What else?"

"The man who seems to be in charge - Roy, Roy Bennett - he… he shot me." Heero gripped the phone, agony and rage coursing through him. He reminded himself to focus. She was alive. And she was talking.

"Where?"

"On my right side, but I've had stitches. S-someone helped me, and left me alone for the moment, so I had to call you…"

Heero's mind raced. "Are you in pain?"

"Yes, but I'm handling it," she said, sounding remarkably steady, now. He could almost hear the smile in her tone. "I've given birth, remember?"

Her words stoked the fire that was still aflame in his heart. "Baby," he breathed, "be careful. Don't do anything reckless. Wait for me. I'll be there soon."

" _You_ need to be careful," Relena shot back with a vigor he wasn't expecting. "I don't know what they're planning, but it's clear they're using me to lure you and the others..."

"I don't care about that," Heero growled. "Five of us are headed your way-"

"No, Heero," she said firmly. "You're all flying into a trap. I don't know what they're planning, but whatever it is, it's likely a distraction from the larger plot. Or a precursor of what's to come. This crew is obviously just following orders, and their tactics change on a whim. One minute they're headed to the ESUN conference; the next, they change course. They want me dead, then they want me alive. Someone else is pulling the strings, Heero." Relena paused, her breathing shaky. "You have to find out who."

"I know," Heero started, "but-"

"But nothing," she snapped. "Tell the others - and heed this yourself - not to burden themselves rescuing me." Her voice had resumed its familiar, commanding resonance. "It's far more important that you stop these people, by whatever means necessary. The corruption in ESUN runs deep… we must stamp it out, or die trying. I'm prepared to go down fighting."

"No!" Heero shouted into the phone. "You're not going to die. I won't let you." She startled him by chuckling softly.

"Heero…" she murmured, her voice caressing each syllable of his name. "I love the sound of your voice, so strong and certain. You know that, don't you?" She sighed. "Lend me your strength again. One last time."

His heart dropped at her words. "Relena…"

She sniffed, and he could hear her hardfought composure breaking. "Tell Ella that I love her," she said with a choked voice. "Please?"

Heero shook his head violently, which was no use. "Don't go."

"I have to," she gasped. "Someone's coming. But promise me, Heero, that you'll keep fighting. I believe in you. I always have." Relena's voice hitched. "And Heero, I-"

The line went dead. Heero lowered the phone and stared down at it in disbelief.

He had to be hallucinating.

Her voice still rang in the cockpit, as if she'd been right there with him. _I believe in you._ He had all but begged her to do that, once, years ago.

Now, Heero didn't know what to believe. Had he really gone crazy? There was at least one way to find out…

He began to program Zero to contact the Sandrock Gundam, not knowing if Quatre was already in position. He needed to ask the empath if he had sensed anything from Relena. But before Heero could place his call, another came in, flashing red on the console. A mayday call, from Preventers shuttle 03.

Trowa's shuttle.

The acrobat's face filled up the screen, his expression pained.

"Sorry to trouble you again so soon," Trowa said, wincing as he clutched his left shoulder. Blood seeped through his Preventers jacket and stained his fingers. "I have a bit of a situation-"

"What happened?" Heero asked quickly.

"My alleged crew?" Trowa scoffed. "Defectors."

Heero's mind raced. "What?"

"They shot me and took off in the escape pods," Trowa continued through clenched teeth. "After gleefully informing me that they planted a bomb."

Heero cursed under his breath. "You haven't located anything? Nothing on the heat sensors?"

"No. They hacked the controls."

Heero got right to work, breaking into the shuttle's circuit controls. The heat sensors lit up immediately, gleaming red in the cockpit where Trowa was, as well as in the shuttle's undercarriage.

"There's something in the storage bay," Heero said. "Can you make it down there?"

"Well, I'll have to try. They didn't leave me an open escape route."

"Surprised they didn't blow your head off while they were at it," Heero said morosely.

"They tried," Trowa said with a chuckle. "They missed. I got my shots in, too, before they made their getaway."

Heero frowned. "If I could disable it from here-"

"I know," Trowa cut in.

"Well, get in a suit and get yourself down there." Heero didn't envy the task that laid before Trowa. Without an escape pod, he had no other chance of avoiding detonation. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell how long he had to disable the bomb, either.

"And stay online," Heero added. "I'll loop in the others and see who's closest to your vicinity…"

"Why bother?" Trowa asked darkly. "By the time anyone gets here-"

"Don't think about that now," Heero said curtly. "Just get your ass down there and deactivate that thing."

Trowa chuckled. "Thanks for the encouragement, Heero. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, well if you do get blown up," Heero said flatly, "remember, it hurts like hell."

Trowa's laughter grew boisterous. "You bastard. When you see Relena, give her a kiss for me."

"Not on your life, jackass," Heero snapped. "Now stop wasting time."

"Roger that." Trowa floated away from the screen. Heero quickly radioed the other Preventer shuttle, along with the Aventinus, Sandrock and Deathscythe.

Raquel's face was the first to appear on Zero's console screen.

"Heero-" Raquel started. "I mean, Agent Alpha-"

"Put Zechs on," Heero interrupted, not wanting to bother with codenames. Or with her. Raquel's eyes widened but she obeyed, as her image was almost instantly replaced by Zechs's scowling face. Wufei and Duo appeared in short succession. They all started to speak at once, but Heero's baritone overpowered each.

"There's a bomb onboard Preventer shuttle zero-three," he said curtly. "What is your proximity?"

"We are on course to intercept ESUN shuttle A-65," Wufei reported in a flat tone.

"Yeah, at this rate I'm closer to Relena's shuttle, too," Duo said, looking anxious.

"We're trailing Zero, still," Zechs snapped. "If we change course now-"

"I figured." Trowa's voice came in over the comm link. "It's just as well."

"Sorry, buddy," Duo lamented. "I could reroute, if you think that'll help-"

"Relena's more important," Heero and Trowa said in unison. "Sorry," Heero said to Trowa.

"Don't worry about it," the acrobat grunted. "You all need to focus on Relena."

"Barton, what's your status?" Wufei barked.

Trowa gave another grunt before responding. "Just got in a suit," he said breathlessly. "Heading out to see if I can disable the bomb…"

"Take an escape pod and get the hell away from there," said Wufei.

"Helpful," Trowa said sarcastically. "I hadn't thought of that…"

"The rest of the crew took the pods," Heero informed the others.

"But why?" Duo gasped as it dawned on him. "Mutiny?!"

"Affirmative," said Trowa.

"Well, there's nothing we can do," Zechs said flatly. "Good luck, Barton."

Heero's jaw clenched.

"I'm about to open the airlock," said Trowa, "so if we lose transmission-"

And then he was gone.

"Damn," said Duo, wide-eyed. "Now what?"

"We still haven't heard from Quatre," said Heero, his hope rising. "Whoever hears from him first, send him Barton's way." He had one other idea forming, but it was risky. As the others continued to talk over each other, Heero busied himself hacking into Heavyarms' controls. He had no idea where Trowa had stowed the thing, so it was a long shot, but the Gundams did have an autonomous mode…

Heero's attention was diverted when another mayday call came in. This time from Sandrock.

"Shit," Duo exclaimed as Quatre's harried face joined the others onscreen.

"Quatre," Heero started, his own face paling. "What-"

"The colony's under attack!"


	15. Hysteria

_A/N: Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone who is keeping up with this story for your continued enthusiasm and support; you don't know what it means to me. In exchange for your awesomeness, I am trying to pump this story out as quickly as possible, while making sure these chapters are up to my usual standard before posting! I could probably spend_ forever _revising these chapters, but I will try not to go overboard. Like I said when I first started sharing this with you, I want you to have as close to a novel-reading experience as I can give you, so that means posting often! I'd love for you to be able to binge-read, so I will try to post at least one more update this weekend, even though I need to dive into wedding planning!_

 _My future last name is Darling, by the way. That may have influenced my choice in husband. Shh. Don't tell my future spouse._

 _To fans of_ The Agreement _, I'm sorry again for the brief hiatus, but I will be checking back in with that world soon. Promise! Quite a different vibe from this story, eh? Don't worry, I still have plans for Dorothy et al in that universe. ;) No Dorothy in this story, yet, but wouldn't she be a riot here?!_

 _Anyway, sorry to keep you squirming in suspense, but that_ is _the name of the game here. Warning: This story is going to be a long one. Dare we say epic? Anyway, I hope you won't have a problem with that. March on, 1xRmy!_

 _Hugs and Heero!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

It took several moments, and a great deal of patience, for Heero and the others to calm Quatre long enough to extract any useful information. But the blond pilot, while hysterical, had at least made it inside Sandrock and was sheltered from the blasts that had erupted on the colony. It was still unclear how many detonations had occurred, who was setting them off, and how many casualties were left in the wake. Talking to Quatre, it sounded like the death toll could be in the hundreds.

Heero remembered Trowa's warning about Quatre's "sight" and hoped that, this time, the empath's intuition was off. He refused to believe that there could be so many people dead, already. They weren't at war.

Were they?

"Where are you now?" Heero barked to the Sandrock pilot, repressing the fear rising in his chest that threatened to immobilize him.

"I-I'm still within the L4 cluster," Quatre whimpered. Heero could picture the suit just floating there, hovering above the colonies. He knew how paralyzing it could be inside a Gundam for a pilot whose emotions were spiraling out of control. Especially if that pilot was Quatre.

The other pilots understood this well. "What are you gonna do?" Duo cut in.

"I don't know!" Quatre cried. "Should I stay and fight? I should fight, right?!"

"You're outmanned," Wufei said flatly. "Might as well join the rest of us."

"And do what?!" Quatre shrieked.

"Wait," said Wufei.

"Wait?!" Quatre was growing more agitated by the minute.

"Calm yourself!" Zechs's commanding voice was like a resounding slap. Heero was grateful he wasn't the only one who saw it. In his frenzied, overly emotional state, Quatre was likely to do something rash- and get himself killed in the process.

Quatre quieted his protests and lowered his head, but continued breathing heavily and erratically. After several long seconds, he raised his eyes back to the screen.

"I'll come to you," he said at last, his voice weak, defeated. It was unclear which one of the other pilots he was addressing, but Heero wasted no time in sending Quatre the coordinates for the ESUN shuttle.

"That's the rendezvous point. Now hurry."

Quatre looked hesitant."But-"

"There's no time!" Zechs snarled, slamming the console in front of him.

Quatre's eyes widened, and the color drained from his already pale face. "Trowa?" His voice came out thin and eerily quiet. He clutched at his chest, his eyes bulging wildly. "Wh… where's Trowa?"

"Don't." Heero squeezed his own eyes shut. "Don't go there, Quatre. We need you now."

"Yeah, come on, buddy." Duo had a knack for sounding easy-going, even in a crisis. Heero decided to let the Deathscythe pilot take over the coaxing from there. "We'll check on Trowa after we rescue the Princess. I'm sure he's fine. I mean, if anyone can get himself out of a jam, it's _that_ guy."

Heero opened his eyes to see the pained expression on Quatre's face. For all they knew, it was already too late.

 _Come on, Quatre,_ he urged him silently. _Keep it together._

Heero realized he was talking to himself just as much. He felt as if he were teetering on the brink of madness, and the self-control he prided himself on maintaining at all times was rapidly unraveling. He was already questioning his own sanity, and was still half-convinced he had imagined that last phone call with Relena. How could she have called him from the shuttle? And converse with him, so clearly, after being shot? None of it made any sense, and Heero wondered if he was actually lucid. Had he hallucinated Trowa's mayday call and the L4 bombing, too?

Was he truly losing his mind?

The voices and faces of the other pilots rooted him to reality, as did the familiar controls of his mobile suit. Heero refocused on Zero's thrusters, clutching the controls for dear life. He felt as if he was flying fast enough to burst into flames.

As Heero sped through space, all he could see was _her_ face in his mind's eye, where it always was- front and center. Her visage swayed in front of him, propelling him forward.

 _Relena..._

* * *

Relena was pocketing her mobile when the doors to the back room burst open, and Bennett stormed inside. She resisted the instinct to shrink back against the wall as the tall man loomed over her. She focused instead on maintaining a firm stance, flying in the face of her fears, glaring up at him in warning as he bore down on her.

Her look of warning was not heeded.

Bennett forced her back against the wall and put his hands up on either side of her, boxing her in. His eyes glittered down at her, dark and threatening. Relena tried to swallow the terror welling up in her throat. She could only guess what might be coming next.

She quickly glanced away from him, trying to look past the door, but he yanked her by the chin, forcing her to look up at him. Relena trained her eyes on his, fighting the strong urge to blink. No matter what, she would not be intimidated.

"I hope you enjoyed your little time out," Bennett seethed. His expression was full of venom. Relena said nothing as his other hand dove inside her blazer pocket and found her phone. "And where did you get _this_?"

Relena clenched her teeth against Bennett's grip but didn't answer his question. He chucked her phone over his shoulder. It landed with a hard _thump_ on the floor a few feet away, but didn't shatter; the case Relena kept it in was indestructible. One Heero had gotten for her, long ago. She still had the same one, after all these years… a testament to his attention to detail, she thought. His protection.

It was a strange thing to fixate on, Relena realized, as Bennett looked down at the blood stain on her blouse, where he'd shot her. She saw something flicker over his face before he dug his hand into her side. Relena cried out in agony at the sudden stab of pain, on top of the spasms that already radiated within her. Her shirt and her new stitches failed to act as a barrier to the fresh pain that ripped through her.

"I'm sorry, does that hurt?" Bennett cackled, his eyes glittering. Relena bit her lower lip and turned her face to the side. She utterly refused to cry or lose control in front of this man. She would endure what she had to endure, for now. Then she would pick herself back up and overcome him. She had to.

" _Don't hesitate or hold anything back. Just like we practiced. Remember?"_ Heero's words from earlier came rushing back to her. " _If you need to fight, then fight."_

 _I'll fight,_ she vowed to him. _Watch me, Heero._

She spoke to him not only in her mind, but in her heart. And even though logic told her that he could not hear her, whenever she addressed the void and pictured Heero, she always imagined that he could. That he was there, somewhere, on the other end of a constant line of communication. Why she had chosen to silence that over the past few years, and try to forge ahead without him… Well. She'd had her reasons, but they all seemed foolish now. She had tried to sever that sacred connection… and yet, as Relena finally allowed tears to flow, she knew it was still there. She was tethered to him. That invisible red string that tied souls together, that she'd heard about in folk tales as a child, it was real. Soulmates were real.

She had one. And he was coming for her, just as she knew he would. She only hoped that by the time he reached her, he wouldn't have to fight. She could do that for him.

She hoped.

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	16. State of Emergency

Heero steeled his mind against the chaos erupting all around him. Reports were flooding in about the attack on L4. Une was on the line with all of them now, trying to change their plans, barking out new instructions that Heero merely ignored. In the meantime, Quatre returned dutifully to L4 to provide aid to an untold number of victims.

Reports were inconsistent, but it appeared that three different blasts had gone off in short succession in key areas of the conference center, taking out scores of people in each location. The first was in the foyer of a building that Quatre was about to walk into. Everyone surmised he had been one of the intended targets. Another bomb went off in a commissary in the main building, where breakfast was being served to dozens of conference attendees shortly after the event kicked off. The third bombing took place in a conference room where a delegate was preparing to speak. Heero wondered if the speaker had been chosen to replace Relena - she was always speaking at these things - or if that person had been another target. Either way, the diplomat was dead, along with several others who had gathered to hear his speech. It was not yet known what type of bombs they were, and authorities were scrambling to pick up evidence, scour surveillance footage, and hunt for suspects.

Naturally, Une was dispatching Preventer units from every corner of the colonies to aid in the investigation and recovery effort. Duo spent several minutes vacillating, close as he was to L3 and the path of Relena's shuttle, before agreeing to join Quatre on L4. Heero cursed the decision; he'd wanted Duo there as backup, especially now that Trowa was… out of commission. They still had no idea how Trowa had fared in his attempt to disable the bomb on his own shuttle. Heero didn't want to think about it now.

He balked when Une started to say something about sending the Aventinus.

"No way in hell," Heero said through gritted teeth.

"Agent Alpha," Une warned, her eyes burning at him from behind her glasses. They were poised on the bridge of her nose and her hair was pulled back in tight buns on either side of her neck. Heero knew this meant she was in full commander mode, which was as effective as it was terrifying. "I need you to think clearly here. We have far more victims to attend to now, and-"

"We need that ship," Heero growled. Wufei cleared his throat.

"With all due respect, Commander, I believe if we act quickly and efficiently, we can handle both incidents," the dark-haired Preventer said calmly. "Seeing as how we're set to intercept ESUN flight A-65, I see no reason why we should abort the current mission, despite… recent developments."

Une's gaze tightened on the monitor while Heero nodded his agreement, grateful Wufei was his ally in this.

"You've dispatched two Gundam pilots to L4," Heero added. "That should be more than enough. For now."

"Very well." Une's tone was clipped, and Heero imagined she wanted to slap them for their insubordination. "Stay on course. Once you have rescued Darlian and the other delegates, proceed directly to L4."

"Yes, Commander." Wufei bobbed his head.

"Agent Zeta-" Une started.

"I'm behind Yuy, Commander," Zechs said calmly, but there was an edge to his voice that left no room for argument. "We'll attend to my sister before we do anything else."

"You do realize this is an unprecedented state of emergency?!" Une's stern voice rose.

"We'll deal with one emergency at a time," said Zechs, his gaze unwavering.

"Why am I speaking with you and not the communications officer, Zechs?" Une grumbled, dropping protocol. "Put Morena online."

"She's not piloting this shuttle," Zechs said tersely.

"Do as you're ordered!" Une shouted.

Zechs unleashed a primal growl before his image disappeared, replaced by Raquel's.

"Commander Gold?"

"Agent Morena," Une sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Give me your current coordinates so _I_ can make a decision."

Heero saw Raquel hesitate before rattling off the numbers for Une. He fixed a hard stare on her.

"Dammit, Raquel," he muttered, momentarily forgetting he was still patched into the comm link. "Help me out here..." Her eyes widened in surprise, mid-sentence.

"Whoa, Yuy! The hell was _that_?!" Duo yelped. "Keep it in your pants, man." Heero was about to unfurl a load of expletives at him when Une cut in.

"I expect you _all_ to keep your personal feelings out of this mission," she said in a steely voice. "Alpha, Kappa, Zeta. The three of you, continue your current course, then report back to me after you've reached the ESUN shuttle. Over and out."

"Roger that," they chorused.

Heero was relieved they had finally agreed on a course of action. Not that he would have deviated from his original plan, anyway. Not for one second.

Not when Relena needed him.

He knew putting her life ahead of hundreds was selfish. He knew she would tell him so. But he didn't care.

He needed her, too.

* * *

"I hope it was worth it." Relena's head snapped up at Bennett's words.

"What?"

He chuckled darkly and took a step backward, briefly freeing Relena from where he'd confined her. She straightened herself shakily but barely had time before Bennett seized her arm and dragged her forward.

"Your precious little phone call," he said as he pushed her through the door, back into the shuttle aisle. "I saw Graham take your phone. I had a feeling he would try to help you. But…"

Bennett's voice trailed off as Relena gasped. Graham was flat on his back in the middle of the aisle. The passengers were still asleep, slumped against their seats. She wanted to check on each one of them, especially Jules, her assistant, but she couldn't do anything to help them. Not now.

Tears burned Relena's eyes as she crept forward. She forced herself to take in the horrific sight. Graham's throat was open in an ugly gash of red, slit to the bone. Blood trickled down his neck and pooled on the floor around his head. His green eyes were wide open but empty, the life in them drained.

" _Graham!"_ Relena swung her head around and screamed at Bennett. "Why?!"

"Why?!" Bennett smiled cruelly at her. "This is how we deal with disobedience around here. He paid for what he did." He took a menacing step forward. "And so will you."

Relena glared at Bennett for what felt like a full minute, refusing to acknowledge his threat. She turned and bent down next to Graham, her heart breaking for the young man and his family, wherever they were. She had wanted to help him, as he'd helped her. This was what he got for his kindness. But Relena had come to learn a long time ago that often, life was simply unfair.

Bile rose up in her throat, but she choked it down. She brushed her fingers over Graham's youthful face and closed his eyes for him.

Bennett's rough hands closed around Relena's shoulders and hoisted her to her feet. He sidestepped Graham's body and pulled Relena along with him toward the cockpit, where the rest of the phony crew was crouched. Waiting.

Relena caught Alicia's steely gaze through bleary eyes. But she wouldn't cry. Not now. She was too angry to cry.

And she was about to get a whole lot angrier.

* * *

 _A/N: To quote Scarlet Eve (one of my dear friends/beta readers/editors! The other is Mistaken-Miracles! HAY SQUAD), "Body count: one." RIP Graham. Sorry for the disturbing content. Please let me know if you thought that was a bit... much. I am trying to keep the T rating here (unless you guys think I should... not. I'm open to suggestions!)._

 _Anyway, I said one more update, didn't I? I feel bad the previous chapter was so short! I hope you enjoy and have a happy weekend! Sorry to end things on an upsetting note, but as one reviewer pointed out, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better. :'(_

 _HUGS! We will get through it!_

 _\- RFP_


	17. Death's Dance

_A/N: Because it's still Sunday Funday, somewhere!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Bennett forced Relena into an empty seat. "Tie her up," he barked, and the two officers rose to complete the task. She watched the men with unblinking eyes as they approached her with a rope. She wanted to fight them, but not all at once; that was a battle she was certain to lose.

Relena stayed still and compliant, glaring past the two men as they secured her to the chair, up at Bennett where he leaned against the captain's chair, sporting a cocky grin.

Everything seemed to still to slow motion as Bennett reached inside his jacket and withdrew a long, jagged knife, smeared with what had to be Graham's blood. Relena flinched but managed to keep from turning her head away.

"What do you think?" Bennett mused out loud, sneering down at Relena as he stroked the knife. "Should she meet the same fate as her friend out there, or do we want to have a little fun first?" Relena glanced over to Alicia and saw the woman wince before composing her features.

 _Aha,_ Relena thought, _another crew member who's been coerced…_ She could tell the woman didn't want to watch her die. That was a small comfort, at least. When the other two men exchanged shrugs, but didn't otherwise answer their leader, Bennett rolled his eyes.

"Well," he said, taking a menacing step toward Relena, "looks like no one cares what I do with you. And since it's up to me, I'm gonna take things nice and slow." His smirk spread into a full, twisted grin. He used his free hand to grip Relena's chin, hard. "I'll have you begging for death before I'm done with you, my dear."

Relena's eyes flashed. "Then you'll have a problem," she snapped. "I don't beg."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Bennett scoffed and struck her hard across the face. Relena grit her teeth to bear the new shock of pain, her jaw throbbing.

He brought the knife up to her neck and pressed the point to her skin. Relena squirmed only slightly in her seat as he dragged the blade down in an exaggerated fashion, the cold steel making her flesh rise up in goosebumps as Bennett trailed it down to her clavicle, never once piercing her skin. He was toying with her. Relena watched the knife's deadly dance in a mixture of fear and irritation. She had no plans to let him get as far as he intended, though; her hands may have been bound, but her feet were still free. And Heero had taught her long ago how to make full use of them, even if she found herself otherwise incapacitated.

In this moment, her stilettos were her only weapon. _Things could be worse,_ she mused. She still had an ace up her sleeve. And as she watched Bennett's sinister grin darken, she remembered why he looked so familiar.

"I know who you _really_ are," she blurted. Her words seemed to catch him off guard; he frowned at her.

"Oh, really?" He glanced to the others, whose eyes betrayed nothing.

"Lucifer," Relena spat. Bennett boomed a laugh.

"I've been called worse."

"Aldous Lucifer," she continued, her voice rising in anger. "I've been tracking you for years now, and I know exactly-"

"Oh, right. _That_ Lucifer." Bennett chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You mean my brother. And my boss."

Relena was only mildly surprised that he was freely admitting to being part of a secret global trafficking ring that went by the name of the devil himself.

"I know all about you," she said, imbuing her voice with as much venom as she could muster, anger and disgust roiling her insides. "You're… you're a sick person, and you're not going to get away with any of this."

Bennett threw his head back in the most maniacal laugh Relena had ever heard. "Well, that's adorable," he cooed once he'd composed himself. "And how do you plan to stop me? You're about to be _dead_."

Relena gave him a smirk of her own. "I'm not the only one who knows about you," she hissed. "Your secrets won't die with me."

"Oh, right... I forgot for a second, you weren't working alone." Bennett's eyes rolled in an even more exaggerated fashion. "Wait… No, I didn't. I already took care of your friends."

Relena could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "You what?"

"You mean Barton and Winner, right? They were at that conference you were supposed to be at earlier?" Bennett's eyes glittered. "All taken care of."

"You're bluffing," Relena said as calmly as she could. She wondered how Bennett knew about them and their involvement in the case. About any of it. She should have known they would be found out, eventually… But Trowa was a pro at espionage, and Quatre had so many connections, it was easy for him to bury any traces of their investigation. That was one reason Relena had turned to them for help in the first place. But now… _What if…_

She choked back a sob in her throat and prayed that Bennett was lying.

"See for yourself." He turned to face the center console and flicked a button, and a holographic image appeared in between them, showing news footage of an explosion in a building. And then another one. And another. Relena watched, shellshocked, as fire erupted and tore through the structures, and the people who weren't consumed by flames stampeded over one another, screaming and trying to escape.

"This happened a little while ago," Bennett snickered. "At the ESUN conference. Like I said, your friends are history."

Relena's eyes filled at the images, but once again, she was more angry than anything else. "You have no proof that either Quatre _or_ Trowa are dead," she whispered in disbelief.

"Oh, I'm sure some evidence of them must remain." Bennett gave a careless shrug. "Don't worry, I'm sure the rest of your Preventer buddies will be able to identify them through their dental records or something. Although that will probably take a few weeks, and I'm afraid you won't live long enough to find out."

Relena's eyes stung and her heart ached, but she still refused to believe her captor's words. She took comfort in the fact that Trowa wasn't even planning to arrive on L4 until later in the week, and clung to the hope that neither he or Quatre were near any of the explosions when they occurred. But other people she knew and worked with may not have survived…

 _Paul._ Her stomach plummeted. Paul had mentioned he might go on ahead of Relena to the conference, although the last they had spoken, he was trying to change his flight so he could squeeze in one more meeting in Brussels. She had no idea if he'd been successful; when she'd last had access to her phone, she'd called… Heero. Because _of course_. As much as she didn't want her ex risking his life to save her, Relena knew there was no use fighting against the inevitable. Heero would come for her, always, just as he'd promised her long ago. She could either give up now or draw strength from his unwavering devotion.

Heero would want her to be strong. She could be that, for him. For Ellie.

Even as her resilience was being tested like never before.

"Correction," one of the officers was saying to Bennett. "You blew up Barton's shuttle earlier..."

Relena's heart took another dive. She shook her head rapidly from side to side, refusing to believe it.

 _No!_ She wanted to scream. _Not Trowa, too…_

Paul was one thing; she had grown fond of him over the past year. He was, as she'd told Heero, a good man, and it was obvious he cared for _her_ a great deal. Relena, if pressed, would have to admit she was only entertaining the idea of being married again, in general, than to Paul in particular. She knew her next marriage, if she were to have one, would be more about stability and public appearance than anything. Relena didn't expect any man to come sweep her off her feet; not again. But when it came to the traits Relena was looking for in a husband - on paper, at least - Paul fit the bill. A human rights lawyer who worked as a consultant to the special trafficking task force Relena headed, Paul was smart, fiercely loyal, and dedicated to his cause. Relena had come to admire and rely on him. Even if they didn't have the kind of body-and-soul connection Relena shared with Heero, she knew Paul would make a more-than-decent spouse.

But, as usual, her complicated feelings for Heero threw everything else out of focus. Relena pushed warring thoughts from her mind as her concern for Paul seeped into worry for Trowa.

The stoic, yet companionable acrobat was easily one of Relena's closest friends; her history with him went back nearly as far as hers and Heero's. Trowa was, fittingly, the third Gundam pilot she had ever encountered. Relena had always appreciated how, early on, he'd treated her with respect and kindness, and had faith in her beliefs and abilities when so many others had doubted her. As if she were truly his queen, he took up the mantle as one of her sworn knights. Relena had come to prize both their friendship and working relationship, especially as Trowa became more embedded in her investigation. But even more than that, he was a brother to her. Quatre, too. The thought of anything happening to either one of them was enough to make Relena's heart shatter.

"Oh, right." Bennett laughed, and Relena's anger broiled. "Silly me," he said, "I almost forgot we had a contingency plan. See?" He turned back to Relena and grinned slyly. "We really thought of everything. Now all that's left to take care of is _you_."

He took another step back toward her, brandishing the knife once again. Relena was tempted to spit in his face. Instead, she managed a smile.

"You forgot something else," she said coyly.

"And what's that?" Bennett snarled.

"I have files and files of data on you people, and that's not going away anytime soon." Her smile spread across her face. "And it's far too encrypted for the likes of you to ever find it."

Bennett unleashed a snort. "Well, then. No one else is gonna find it, either."

Relena couldn't help but laugh at his utter idiocy. "Then you've also forgotten that my husband happens to be an expert hacker." She was full on grinning now. Bennett looked unimpressed.

"Your _ex_ -husband, you mean," he sneered. "Why would he give a rat's ass about his dead ex-wife's computer files? You're full of shit." He sighed and shifted his knife from one hand to the other. "I'm getting bored... time to shut you up for good."

"If you assume he doesn't care, why would you have me signal the Gundam pilots, then?" Relena shot back. "You must have counted on him showing up."

"Ah, so you admit they _do_ have Gundams, still." Bennett's eyes flashed. "Well, that's good to know. Then the morons will fall right into our little trap."

Relena continued her line of questioning, undeterred. "What kind of trap could you possibly have for a _Gundam_?!"

Bennett's lips curled into a sneer. "You'll have to wait and see… Oh, wait, that's right. You'll be dead long before they reach you. But maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll let your ex see your corpse before I kill him, too."

It was hard for Relena to keep from bursting out laughing at yet another ridiculous threat. "I can only imagine what would happen to you if you dared," she said instead, maintaining her cool. "Good luck with _that_."

She could see the fury growing in Bennett's dark eyes, and knew she had probably pushed him too far. After seeing what had happened to poor Graham, she knew he was likely to snap at any moment. Her hands twitched behind her back. Part of her was still the idealistic pacifist she had always strived to be; the other side of her wanted to claw Bennett's eyes out.

And, at the moment, the other side was winning.

"Enough talking, you stupid bitch!" Bennett bellowed as he advanced on her. Relena's eyes went round as he raised his right arm and swung the knife down in a slashing motion. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the sharp sting of the blade-

"Aloysius, you imbecile! Stop right there!" A man's deep, commanding voice reverberated through the cockpit.

Relena quickly realized that she felt… nothing. Slowly, cautiously, she opened one eye, then the other.

She found herself looking up at a hologram of a man wearing an impeccably-tailored suit that screamed money and status. He shared some of Bennett's facial features, although his face was more chiseled and refined. If Bennett - or was it Aloysius? - was the foreman, this man had to be the CEO.

"What do you want, Aldous?!" Bennett glared stonily at the image.

"You were about to go against my orders," the man called Aldous boomed. Relena suddenly recognized him from her years-long investigation; it was him she had discovered, not Bennett. She shuddered in her seat. He was a very handsome, wealthy, extremely dangerous man. And, as far as she was concerned, far more deadly than his half-brained brother.

And yet, he had saved her life, for the moment.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Darlian," Aldous cooed. "My brother can be a bit boorish at times. He was told _explicitly_ to keep you alive. And bring you to me."

Relena opened her mouth to speak, but Aldous barrelled ahead. "Bring her to the base, you feckless twits!" He tapped a gold Rolex on his left wrist. "My patience is running out… And if you so much as harm another _hair_ on her body, I will make you pay for it in pints of your own blood."

Relena felt a shiver run down her spine. She wondered what Aldous could possibly have planned for her. Then again, she really didn't want to know.

"Don't worry, my darling…" Aldous smiled, but it was not a friendly look. His eyes were cold and deadly. "We'll be together soon. I promise."

Relena could have vomited then and there. So _that's_ what he was after, apparently…

The image crackled and disappeared. Bennett pocketed his knife, grumbling to himself. Relena couldn't help but gloat at his defeat.

"So…" She tilted her head to the side and smiled viciously at her captor. "Aloysius is your real name, then? No wonder you changed it…"

"You shut the fuck up," he growled. "We'll do as he instructed," he added, turning to address his henchmen, choking out his words as if they were poison. "Get to the escape pods."

Alicia and the two officers nodded and all but sprinted from the cockpit. Relena wondered if they were relieved to get away from Bennett - or rather, Aloysius - even for a moment. She wondered if they had all been forced to work with him, like he forced Graham. She hoped she would have the opportunity to find out. And perhaps elicit their help.

Of course, Relena didn't like this new turn of events, but at least it could buy her some time, she thought. Perhaps she could even find another way to contact Heero…

" _No matter what,"_ Heero had warned her earlier. " _Do not let anyone take you to another location…"_

Well, that part was out of her control now. Or was it?

"What about the other passengers?" Relena asked as Bennett hoisted her, still restrained, out of her seat. She could only hope Jules and the others would make it out of there, alive.

"Oh, don't worry; we have plans for them," he said as he pushed her out of the cockpit, back into the shuttle aisle. Sure enough, the passengers were still asleep. Relena deduced that the other crew members must have given them another dose while Graham was stitching her up in the back of the shuttle.

"That should keep your beloved Gundam pilots busy for a while," Bennett added, his eyes glinting dangerously. "In the meantime, they'll have no idea where you are..."

Relena wished she knew where they were taking her, but she refused to give in to panic. Her heart remained hopeful. After all, so far, destiny had intervened at every turn.

Yes, she believed in destiny. She believed in _him._

* * *

 _A/N to the characters!_

 _Dear Aldous,_

 _Welcome to the story! And thanks for saving Relena, in your own creepy way. I hope you're not planning anything too dastardly, because Heero has a Gundam, and he's kind of pissed. Still, I c_ _an't wait to see what you've got planned in that crazy head of yours!_

 _Until next time!_

 _\- RFP_

 _Dear Relena,_

 _HANG IN THERE! Sorry for being kind of a jerk to you right now. Keep holding out for a Heero! YOU CAN DO IT!_

 _Hugs!_

 _\- RFP_

 _Dear Heero,_

 _For the love of all things holy, stop being all emo in your Gundam and just blow these space terrorists to smithereens already, all right? Sheesh. Do I have to do your job for you? Wait... I do? Fine, I'll get on that._

 _Love you!_

 _\- RFP_

 _Dear Bennett/Aloysius/whatever your name is,_

 _Hey, we've had a good run. You've been a lot of fun to write, even though you're kind of a sadistic d-bag. I can't promise things are gonna be so awesome for you in the next chapter. I mean, like I said, Heero's got a Gundam, and he's headed your way, so..._

 _BYEEEEEE!_

 _\- RFP_

 _Dear readers,_

 _Thank you for tolerating this insanity; you're the best! Stay tuned for more madness!_

 _Love love love,_

 _\- RFP_


	18. Down to the Wire

_A/N: Hi everyone! You know I can't resist a hump day update! I was going to keep editing this chapter and save it for Friyay! But why not start the holiday weekend a little early? We're all feeling it anyway, am I right? Don't worry, I'll update again before the holiday because I just can't help myself..._

 _I appreciate all of your reviews and thoughtful feedback! There have been some great, insightful comments, and I do take them to heart. To those of you who decided to log-in just so we can chat, I appreciate it! There is always so much to say about this series and these characters, I feel like we could go on and on forever! Thank goodness for PMs! Always free to PM me if you want to reach out!_

 _So will I incorporate more backstory stuff on Heero and Relena? Absolutely. Not necessarily in flashback form, like I did in_ Red Moon Glow _, though... I'm not sure that format would serve this particular story well; it has a different pacing, which many of you seem to enjoy. So, I'd like to keep that up! That said, enough rambling from me... I hope you enjoy today's installment!_

 _Happy hump day!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Heero's desperation was mounting with every second that passed. He counted them, along with his heartbeats, which were growing more and more erratic as he raced against time.

 _Relena. Relena. Relena._

Soon he would find her. He would hold her. He would pry her away from those who intended to harm her.

And, if they had already hurt her, he would deprive them of their ability to produce oxygen.

And then he would take her as far away from there as he could, preferably with the assistance of the remaining Preventers. Of course, the mission had changed and Heero would be forced to improvise. What had started out as six former Gundam pilots intercepting the shuttle dwindled to only three and now, he was the only one of them who even had a mobile suit. Heero didn't like those odds.

But, then, he reminded himself that his unseen enemies were in a shuttle. One Gundam should be more than enough. Especially since it was _his_ Gundam. The new model of Wing Zero vastly improved on its predecessors and was unmatched in speed and agility. Even without weapons, it was a forced to be reckoned with. Of course, Heero had outfitted it with its usual beam saber and twin buster rifle as well. He highly doubted anything the hijackers might have in their arsenal could come close to matching the firepower of a Gundam.

His lips curved into a smile. He was getting close. Soon, he would get to see exactly what his new mobile suit could do.

Heero gripped the controls with new determination, the console no longer set to autopilot. He wanted to move in sync with his mobile suit and feel every pulse of the thrusters until he and the machine worked together in perfect rhythm. He _was_ the machine. This was _his_ flight. His battle.

His victory.

Or so he hoped. Zero had shown him multiple outcomes throughout his journey. Heero saw each failure as a warning. Something told him that everything would come down to a life or death instant, requiring him to make exact calculations. Overcome impossible odds.

Adrenaline surged in his chest and Heero was sweat-drenched inside his spacesuit. He felt a pressure like no other seize him and propel him forward.

Zero beeped and whirred in rapid succession as another vessel came into focus.

ESUN flight A-65 was in sight.

Heero logged a brief report with his comrades.

"This is Agent Alpha," he said in a flat voice. Then, he added with a little more liveliness, "Or rather, Gundam Pilot Zero-One." He grunted, although it came out as a staccato laugh. "Locked on target."

A grin slowly spread across his face as he sped toward the shuttle.

"Gold to Alpha." Une appeared on his screen. "You're making no effort to conceal yourself? Everyone onboard will see you."

Heero chuckled darkly. "Then let them see."

The shuttle was a sitting duck, and Zero was headed straight for it. Heero's eyes narrowed as he powered the Gundam forward.

" _All areas functioning. Will commence operations in seven minutes."_

An unbidden memory seized Heero just then, so vivid, it was if he were experiencing it in real time.

" _A civilian shuttle?"_

His mind rocketed back to that spring day in A.C. 195. Operation Meteor. The civilian shuttle he'd contemplated destroying in order to increase his speed as he and his mobile suit, disguised as an atmospheric entry capsule, made their descent to Earth. The shuttle that he later learned was carrying Relena.

Their first encounter, far apart.

" _Relative speed to target, zero-one-five-four-five. Engaging autolock. Ready to shoot the obstacle down."_

Fate had intervened that day; at least, that's what Relena would say later. Heero knew better than to leave things up to chance.

"Zero-One." Zechs's face appeared on Heero's screen. "Agent Zeta here. We are also approaching the shuttle's vicinity."

Zechs was trailing him fifteen years ago as well. Heero could have laughed at the irony, but he was in full battle mode.

"Prepare to engage," he barked to Zechs.

Zero honed in on the shuttle but as the Gundam neared the vessel, Heero saw three small pods emerging.

"What's this?!" Zechs hissed. "Looks like someone's trying to flee..."

"Not a problem," Heero said assuredly. "I'm going in."

He swiftly changed Zero's course and sped downward toward the small, round metallic pods, none of which were any match for the Gundam's speed. Heero caught up to them easily while Zero showed him exactly what the pods contained.

" _Relena!"_

There she was, wearing a spacesuit and helmet, in a pod with a man Heero had no qualms about killing. Zero wasn't telling him if she was still hurt, or how badly. All Heero needed to see was that she was there.

His heartbeat quickened.

"Hang on, babe…" He made his descent and closed the distance between Zero and the pod that carried Relena, while the other two miniature vessels sped further away. He would have to worry about those later.

"Yuy!" Zechs screamed. "What are you doing?!"

Heero grunted an answer at his former brother-in-law. "Saving your sister."

He advanced on the pod, and for several seconds, all he could see in his mind's eye was Relena gazing up at him, mouth and eyes wide open in wonder.

But she wasn't afraid. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Next to her in the escape pod, Bennett was spitting out a slew of curses.

"What's the matter?" Relena shot him a sidelong glance, smiling with confidence. "You've never seen a Gundam up close, have you?"

They were both wearing heavy spacesuits, but Relena could have sworn Bennett was quivering as the bright mobile suit gleamed before them. There it was, her proverbial knight in shining armor, blazing like a beacon across the darkness. The monstrous, angelic humanoid machine loomed over them, metallic wings flapping with a brilliant flash that appeared to scatter the starlight.

Relena didn't know who was piloting this particular suit, although she could hazard a guess. Her smile widened.

The wings _were_ a dead giveaway.

She had heard a rumor circling around the Preventers that someone might be building new mobile suits. _Operation Sunrise._ At first, she had been horrified. But then she had gotten swept up in her investigation and decided to turn a blind eye to the secret project. After all, she had secrets of her own. And after she and Heero had separated, she decided if he could have his projects, she could have hers.

She watched, awestruck, as her not-so-unexpected savior flashed the bright red laser of its beam saber.

And rushed straight for them.

" _Wait!"_ Bennett screamed, as if the mobile suit pilot could hear him. "Relena _Darlian_ is in here!"

Relena closed her eyes and smiled contentedly, feeling more relaxed than she had in hours.

"You're afraid?" she taunted her tormentor. "You should be. The Gundam is here to rectify your mistakes. And you thought you could _defeat_ one of these?"

Bennett grimaced but didn't answer. And then the deep, familiar baritone crackled around them. That one voice that rang in her head, in her heart, even when he wasn't around. That voice she would know anywhere.

" _Relena."_ His voice caressed her name, so strong, sure and steady. Relena's heart raced in anticipation at the thought of seeing him again, hearing his voice in her ear.

"Heero." She gazed up into his Gundam, knowing - feeling - that he was looking right at her. She beamed him her brightest smile. "I knew you would come for me."

" _Relena-"_ This time he sounded urgent. " _Duck!"_

Relena watched in what felt like slow motion as the Gundam's arm brought the beam saber down in a smooth arc. It was about to come down- right on top of them. But Relena had no time to think about what would happen if she got in the beam saber's way; she immediately did as she was told, dropping her helmeted head down as low as she could.

She heard the horrific, screeching sound of metal being wrenched apart as the beam saber sliced across the pod above them, taking the top clear off. Beside her, Bennett howled.

"This isn't over!" He gripped Relena clumsily with one arm while his free hand grasped his gun and held it up to the side of her helmet. His hold on her was shaky at best, his gloved, gun-toting hand trembling. "Don't you come any closer!" he screamed up at the Gundam.

The arm of the Gundam shot forward and snatched Bennett out of the pod and quickly discarded him. Bennett spun around in open space, careening slowly away from the pod and the Gundam. The Gundam's hand returned to the pod and opened before Relena. She carefully stood from her seat and climbed out of the pod's wreckage, onto the palm of the giant robotic hand.

Time seemed to still as Relena's body moved through space, safe inside the Gundam's hold.

The Gundam's cockpit slid open and the ramp jutted out. She stepped off the hand easily onto the ramp, her movements fluid and graceful in zero gravity.

Relena was awestruck as Heero - _her_ Heero - also clad in a spacesuit and helmet, rose from the cockpit and emerged halfway, offering his outstretched hands to Relena.

She reached eager arms out to him. Heero's gloved hands closed around hers, and he pulled her into the cockpit in a smooth, effortless motion. He helped her onto his seat as the ramp raised and closed them in together.

Together, at last.

* * *

\- RFP


	19. Reunion with Relena

_A/N: I was going to save this for Friyay but... screw it! Thanks for all the love, everyone! Let's keep it going!_

 _Should I have ended this thing by now? Probs, but... nah. ;) Hope you enjoy! If you like this (or don't) please let me know! I really value your input (as I'm sure you can plainly see!). I do take your thoughts/musings/suggestions seriously. Thank you, again, for weighing in!_

 _Love love love,_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Inside the cockpit of the Gundam, time seemed to resume its usual cadence.

Heero could still feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through him as he brought Relena into the safe confines of his machine. His body was slick with sweat inside his spacesuit and his heart rate refused to slow. He could scarcely believe he'd managed to pull it off; Relena was with him, now, where she belonged. No one could get to them inside his mobile suit.

Just as he'd suspected, rescuing Relena had come down to the wire. Zero had shown him exactly where to strike the escape pod to free Relena without decapitating her. He'd even managed to avoid injuring the man who'd captured her, although he had been far less concerned for _his_ safety.

She was all that mattered; even after all these years, that hadn't changed. Heero's devotion to Relena was the only constant in his life, besides his love for their daughter. And now, he hoped, they would all be together again, soon.

Heero kept his arms closed around Relena as if he were afraid to let her go. Part of him was.

The other part of him was annoyed that they were both wearing spacesuits. Heero inwardly cursed the bothersome things. More than anything, he wanted to hold her, the way she was meant to be held. That is, if she still deemed him worthy...

Heero's ragged breathing gradually slowed as he settled back into the cockpit, with Relena beside him. After all that they'd been through - fumbling at love as two teenagers, navigating an unplanned pregnancy, and, finally, watching their fledgling marriage disintegrate… Could she share his feelings, still?

He was ready to find out.

* * *

Relena's breath rose and fell inside her helmet as Heero sat down and pulled her back against his chest so that she sat in between his legs. There was barely enough room for the two of them and their bulky spacesuits weren't helping, but Relena did her best to adjust to the situation.

Her eyes darted about her new, strange surroundings; she couldn't make sense of any of the mechanisms around her. But then she had never even seen the inside of a Gundam before.

"Heero-" she gasped, all of a sudden desperate for air. She reached up to pull off her helmet, but Heero beat her to it, carefully lifting it away for her. Relena took in a deep inhale, her lungs filling with the stilted oxygen of the cockpit, but she didn't care. She was relieved to be out of the tiny escape pod, and out of the shuttle.

Safe, with Heero.

She whirled around in Heero's lap to look at him as he removed his own helmet. He set it to the side and shook out his hair. His eyes met her gaze and held it.

"Hey," he said simply.

His voice was smooth and unaffected, as if he hadn't just flown through space at breakneck speeds to reach her. As if she hadn't just cheated death. His eyes gleamed at her, and all Relena could focus on in the moment was the warmth and tenderness they held. He was looking at her the way he did in the rarest of moments. It was the look he'd given her when she'd walked down the aisle to him on their wedding day, her sixteen-week-old baby bump barely visible in the pouffy, tulle ball gown she'd chosen. The same expression he'd had right after she'd given birth to Ellie, and he reached for their new, tiny human with trembling arms.

It was an unguarded vulnerability she knew he saved for her, and her alone. His soul shone in his eyes; his heart, so often closed off to the world, wide open. He looked at her now as if she were the most precious entity in the galaxy, and Relena knew, without a doubt, she felt the same for him. None of the pain and heartbreak from the past few years seemed to matter; all the hurt she'd held onto faded away.

It was surreal. Something in the back of Relena's mind told her she shouldn't be thinking and feeling this way; that she and Heero were different, now. Changed. But looking in his eyes, all she saw was the man who had vowed to love and protect her, forever.

In every way, he was still her Heero. Still boyishly handsome at thirty years old, half a lifetime from where they started. Those deep blue eyes of his crinkled as he reached up a hand and hooked the back of Relena's head, bringing her face close to his. They pressed their foreheads together and Relena sighed deeply, breathing him in.

"Hey," she returned, her lips curving up into a smile. "We're going to have to have a little chat later, you and I…"

"Hm?" Heero looked slightly taken aback. Relena arched a brow at him.

"About this illegal weapon of yours…"

"Oh." Heero's features relaxed. "We can argue about that all you want, later." His lips twitched, his eyes teasing. "I've missed fighting with you."

Relena's own eyes misted, and she nodded fervently. "I've missed you, too."

Heero's arms reached around her to grasp his controls, and she watched as the screen in front of them zeroed in on Bennett, still floating around space.

"What should I do about him?" Heero asked her, gesturing to the screen.

"Bring him in for questioning," Relena answered hotly, although she knew Heero would probably rather leave her captor fending for himself in space. "What about the others? Can you catch them?"

"Can I catch them?" Heero echoed. Relena knew right away he was mocking her, and rolled her eyes upward.

"Excuse me for doubting you for one second, dear." He gave her a little smirk.

"Hang on tight," he instructed. "We'll come back for this asshole later."

Relena did as she was told, looping her arms around Heero's neck. Something about the danger she'd endured - survived - had her feeling reckless. "Fine," she said, giving Heero a confident smile. "But you'd better kiss me now, before you make me put that stupid helmet on again."

Heero's expression changed, but Relena could tell he didn't mind fulfilling her demand.

"As you wish," his low voice rumbled. His eyes sparkled. Relena's heart pounded wildly as, without a hint of hesitation, Heero angled his face toward hers.

This was it. The moment she'd dreamt about, longed for... shamefully, secretly, since they'd closed the chapter on their relationship. A chapter that, apparently, was still being written.

She closed her eyes and felt Heero's breath tickling her face, ready to close the distance and feel his lips on hers. It had been so long since they'd been _this_ close…

Just as their lips were about to connect, Heero jerked his face away.

"What's he _doing_?!" he yelled.

Relena wrenched open her eyes to see Heero's panic-stricken face. She whipped her head around to look at the screen in time to see Bennett ripping his own helmet off.

In open space.

"Is he crazy?!" she cried. "He'll die!"

Heero swore under his breath. "Apparently, that's the idea…"

They both watched in mesmerized horror as Bennett's face turned an unsightly shade of pale blue and crystallized as the life left his eyes. It was sickening to watch, yet Relena found she couldn't look away from the man who had tried to kill her as he breathed his last.

Her heart thrummed loudly in her ears as she finally turned her head and focused her gaze on Heero. "What are you going to do, now?"

His eyes narrowed in determination. "We'll have to catch up to the others. And hope they don't do the same."

Heero reached down and picked up Relena's helmet. Before she could utter a word in protest, he placed it on her head and unceremoniously closed the visor over her face.

"Heero-" she gasped.

He tapped on her visor. "We'll have to go pretty fast to catch up to those escape pods, and you're not used to that level of speed. No offense," he added gruffly, "but I don't want you throwing up inside my Gundam."

Relena's eyes tightened into a glare. "Oh, so I can just vomit inside my suit instead?! How chivalrous of you."

"I was joking," Heero said without a trace of humor. "But you could probably use more oxygen, especially as we make our descent." He turned his attention to his center console, one gloved hand flying over the controls. Relena had no idea what he was doing as various buttons lit up before them. "Ready?" he asked after a moment.

"As I'll ever be," she gulped.

Heero glanced away from the console and tilted his face toward hers - once again, Relena cursed the stupid helmet - his eyes full of concern.

"How's your injury from before?" Heero frowned as his eyes searched hers. "Is it bad?"

Relena had all but forgotten about the pain. Her right side was still pulsing, but the ache had dulled after a while. In the hours since Bennett had shot her, she'd had plenty of other distractions keeping her preoccupied.

"I'm fine," she insisted to Heero, hoping she sounded tough enough to convince him. He arched a brow before rattling off his planned itinerary.

"I'll contact the Aventinus. I need to make a status report, anyway. I'll dock there and we'll get you treatment."

"That's fine," Relena agreed. "But only after you capture the others. Otherwise this was all for nothing."

"It's not for nothing." Heero's frown deepened. "You're safe and sound. That's all I care about."

Relena frowned right back at him. Then it dawned on her that Heero probably didn't realize who these people were. At least, not entirely.

"You _must_ apprehend them," she said insistently, her voice rising in indignation. "They're also behind the bombings on L4." Heero's eyes widened. "And," Relena added, swallowing around a lump forming in her throat, "Trowa…"

"You know about that?" Heero's voice went up. Relena nodded, blinking back tears.

"They said so. Well, _Bennett_ claimed responsibility."

Heero let out a low oath. "The man who shot you," he said flatly. "Who's currently turning into a popsicle?" Relena nodded resolutely.

"Please, Heero. We can't let them get away."

"We won't." He sounded just as determined as she felt. "Don't worry." His blue eyes were even fiercer than usual; Relena could have cowered under the intensity. But even that warring look of his was fond and familiar to her. She even found it comforting, knowing Heero possessed an uncanny, laser-like focus in times like these. It was that single-handed determination of his that had saved them from countless perils in the past. And Relena knew, even hours before, when hope was bleak, it would come through for her time and again.

Relena squeezed Heero's neck a little tighter. Well. As tightly as she could, given the constraints of her spacesuit. His eyes softened.

"You're all right, aren't you?" he murmured. The tenderness Relena saw nearly threw her for another loop. She knew if Heero wasn't wearing a suit, he would have reached up to smooth her hair. She nodded to assure him she was fine. Because she felt fine. Mostly.

Heero's eyes flickered and Relena could tell that he wasn't entirely convinced. He held her gaze for another beat before turning his attention back to his center console. She watched as his fingers flew over the controls, deftly, despite the thick gloves that covered them. And then, seconds later, familiar faces appeared on the screen before them.

Une. Wufei. Duo. Quatre. Milliardo.

Relena's heart warmed. It was clear, from their expressions, they could see her, too.

A raucous _whoop_ resounded before Heero could finish getting out the words in his assertive baritone.

"I have Relena."

 _End of Part One._

* * *

 _A/N: Gasp! End of part one? What does it mean? It means... there is more. It also means I'm going to check in with that other little story I have going. ;) So, as always, please stay tuned!_

 _I hope you guys are happy with where this is going! But it is far from the end... See you again soon!_

 _\- RFP_


	20. Catching Up

_A/N: YOU GUYSSS. You have all seriously made my day/week/life with your amazing feedback and I am totally crying right now. Thank you for all of the encouragement, for taking the time to review, follow and favorite my stories, and for making me feel so proud and happy to be part of the little fandom that could! I love you all and I love this series and I never want to stop writing for it, even though I know someday I will have to sit down and try to focus my efforts elsewhere... These characters just mean so much to me, and so do all of you, and I'm struggling to express myself clearly right now because bahhhhh, emotions!_

 _What I'm trying to say is... Thank you, thank you, thank you._

 _So I said we were going to take a break so I could work on_ The Agreement _\- and I will, promise! - but since I am almost ready to start posting part 2 of this story, I figured heyyyy, why not?! So here's a little something to read before or after (or during?!) the fireworks!_

 _Enough blubbering from me, but I love you all!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

It took Heero a moment to make his status report but, for once, he didn't mind the constant stream of interruptions. He managed to talk over everyone long enough to report that their chief suspect was dead, and the rest had tried to flee. A mistake he was more than ready to correct.

As Relena and the others continued to chatter away, sharing their relief, Heero used Zero to locate the two escape pods carrying the other suspects.

"Locked on target," he quipped to anyone who was listening. "Ready to engage-"

"Heero." Wufei cut through the noise and Heero turned his attention to the dark-haired Preventer. "I can assist in Shenlong, if that would help."

Heero gaped at him on the screen. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I was keeping it quiet, as instructed," Wufei answered. "But since our last communication, I have been granted permission to pilot the suit."

"Then go," Heero said with urgency. "Now!"

Wufei gave a single nod. "I'll see you on the battlefield." _Field_ was, of course a figure of speech for them when they were in space, but it was something they were all accustomed to saying.

Heero felt Relena tighten her grip on him.

"Something tells me I'm not going to like this." Her eyes swirled with concern behind her blue-tinted visor. Heero reached up and gently squeezed her shoulders.

"You'll be fine, I promise," he said firmly. "You're safe with me."

Relena bit her lower lip and nodded. Heero offered her his sincerest smile, which she managed to match. Just seeing her smile at him was all the encouragement he needed.

"Agent Kappa, what about the Aventinus?" Une interjected.

"I'll leave Agent Okeda in charge in my stead," Wufei said evenly, referring to a junior agent who was one of his more promising team members. "Agent Water will resume second-in-command once she's onboard, if I'm not back before then."

"Very well," said Une. "You may proceed."

"Agent Alpha, I'll be there momentarily," Wufei said just before his image disappeared from the screen.

"Zechs," Heero addressed his former brother-in-law, "tell Sally to prepare the sick bay for our arrival. Relena's injured." The blond man's eyebrows immediately shot up.

"What happened, Yuy?!" he snarled. "I told you, if anything ha-"

"Milliardo, I'm fine," Relena interjected. "It happened on the shuttle, earlier-"

" _What_ happened?!" Zechs repeated with more urgency, his nostrils flaring. "Who hurt you?!"

"Doesn't matter; he's dead," Heero said curtly. "We'll have our chance to interrogate the others soon enough."

"Fine," Zechs seethed, clenching a fist in front of his chest. "They won't get away with this."

"Agent Zeta," Une cut in, "is your crew prepared to board shuttle A-65?"

"Affirmative," Zechs answered, seeming to calm some.

"Be careful," Relena warned him. "Before the hijackers escaped, they said they had 'plans' for the passengers. But what, I don't know. They did say they bombed Trowa's shuttle, so…"

"You think there's a bomb?" Heero asked her. Relena glanced back at him, her eyes troubled.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"In that case, you'll need an expert at decommissioning explosives, then."

Heero's head snapped up to attention at the familiar tenor, just as his face appeared onscreen. " _Trowa?!"_

"Pilot Zero-Three, reporting for duty." Another joyous shout rose from the group as they all cried out in unison.

" _Trowa!"_

"You found Heavyarms," Heero observed with a smirk, noting the five-point harness around Trowa's spacesuit and the familiar surroundings of his cockpit.

"More like it found me." Trowa tipped his chin up. "Thanks for that, by the way…" Heero gave him a nod in return.

"I only did what I could." Heero was just grateful he had managed to hack into Heavyarms' controls, activate the autonomous mode and feed the Gundam Trowa's coordinates, all while chaos was swirling around them.

"Trowa!" Quatre cried, and his relief was palpable through the screen. "I thought the worst when I couldn't sense you any more, but there was too much noise! How did you-"

"I managed to locate and deactivate the bomb with less than two minutes to spare," Trowa said calmly. "By the time I was back in the cockpit, Heavyarms was approaching the shuttle. Needless to say I left the shuttle behind. And now I'm preparing to board Flight A-65."

"Excellent work, Agent Gamma," Une said, a pleased look crossing her face.

"Be careful, Trowa," Relena said softly to the screen. "There could be some sort of trap."

"I'll take care of it," he replied smoothly. "Not to worry." A smile cracked his stoic facade. "Lovely to see you, as always, Relena. I'm glad to see Heero's rescue effort was successful. Well done, Heero," Trowa added.

"Thanks," Heero grunted. "Don't get yourself or anyone else blown up, all right?"

Trowa chuckled. "I'll try not to."

"We'll meet you onboard, Agent Gamma," said Zechs.

"Affirmative," said Trowa. Both he and Zechs vanished from the screen, leaving Une, Duo and Quatre.

"All right, team. Keep me informed," said Une before cutting her transmission. "Gold, signing off."

"All righty, then!" Duo said cheerily. "We'll see ya around, buddy boy! And you too, Princess, of course." He gave a little salute, grinning from ear to ear. "Over and out!"

"I'm so glad everyone is all right." Quatre beamed at Heero and Relena through the screen. "We'll have to catch up later. Good luck, both of you!"

"Same to you," said Heero. Relena waved a gloved hand at the screen.

"'Bye, Quatre… please be careful."

"I will," the blond pilot said with a solemn nod. "You, too."

It was quiet in the cockpit again. Heero refocused his attention on the enemy pods as Relena shifted in their shared seat. He parted his legs to give her more space, wishing he could make her more comfortable.

"Are you ready?" he asked her. She turned again to meet his gaze.

"Ready for what?" she asked flippantly, her eyes holding a teasing gleam. "Ready to lose my lunch?"

"Something like that." Heero gave a low chuckle. "Don't worry; this will all be over quickly."

"Are you going to wait for Wufei?"

Heero shook his head. "He'll catch up soon enough."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"We'll bring the suspects to the Aventinus and interrogate them," Heero said gruffly, although he wanted to do much worse to the bastards who had captured her.

"You should let me help," Relena said, her voice rising. "There's a lot you still don't know, and-"

"You'll have a chance to confirm their identities," Heero cut in, "but only after you get medical attention. We don't want your injury getting any worse."

Relena looked as if she was about to say something else, but Zero's screen lit up again. Wufei's image popped up on screen; this time he was wearing a spacesuit, harnessed inside his Gundam.

"What are you still doing, floating around out here?!" the Shenlong pilot barked. "Enough talking; let's go get these losers."

"Agreed," said Heero, ignoring Wufei's snide tone. "Prepare to engage."

Relena turned inward, her torso pressed against Heero's, and clasped his neck more tightly. He gave her another reassuring squeeze before returning his hands to Zero's controls.

"Here we go."

* * *

Heero had promised Relena a ride, and he didn't disappoint.

Whatever preconceived notions she had ever had of flying in a Gundam were quickly eradicated as Heero fired up his mobile suit and took off at what she could only assume was full speed. Relena could feel the skin flapping on her face as the suit careened through space, racing after her captors' escape pods.

Relena felt the urge to cry out, like she was on a rollercoaster ride, but they were moving so quickly, she couldn't even tell if she was making sounds. And then everything came to a screeching halt. Relena's stomach lurched. She looked up at the screen before them to see the two pods. She swirled in her seat and saw the determined look on Heero's face as he locked on his targets and propelled the Gundam forward.

Relena could also see Wufei's Gundam on the other side of the pods, and then his face appeared on the screen.

"I'll reel them in with my dragon fang," Wufei announced.

"Good plan," said Heero.

Relena could tell Heero had taken out some kind of weapon as he advanced on the pods. She watched as a claw-like weapon shot out of Wufei's Gundam. Sure enough, what appeared to be a dragon's head closed around the bottom of one of the pods, attaching itself to the landing gear. The weapon quickly encircled one pod and then the other, chaining them together.

"My work here is done," Wufei said with a smirk.

Relena wondered if Heero would be slightly annoyed that Wufei had accomplished the task on his own, but his face was a mask.

"Go on ahead," said Heero. "I'll cover you."

"Roger," said Wufei. Relena watched as his Gundam powered off, dragging the two pods behind. Heero followed in Zero, keeping his weapon extended.

"Do you think there's another threat out there?" Relena asked him as they flew after Wufei.

"We don't know much of anything yet," Heero answered tersely. "But we can't be too careful. Do you know where they were taking you?"

"Some base." Relena kept her answer vague, although it was the truth; she knew of Aldous and his organization,Lucifer, but she didn't know where their headquarters were, if that was where he even was. She wondered how much she should tell Heero. Of course, now he was bound to find out what was happening, and she would have no choice but to get him up to speed.

Relena's heart fluttered in anticipation. She hoped she would have the chance, perhaps onboard the Aventinus, to speak with Heero alone, before anything else happened.

Clearly, they had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

 _A/N: Right?! ;)_

 _\- RFP_

 _P.S. Did you really think I was gonna kill Trowa? Pssh. :P_


	21. Burning Up

_A/N: Happy Independence Day to all you American readers! Now who's ready for some fireworks? ;)_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

With Heero in control, it was easy for Relena to zone out the rest of the flight to the Aventinus. That, or perhaps her injury was finally catching up to her. Whatever it was, it was clear that the adrenaline that had kept her wired was beginning to fade away. By the time Heero was navigating his Gundam into a hangar within the massive spaceship, it was all Relena could do to stay awake.

She realized she had nodded off when she felt hands gently shaking her shoulders.

"Relena…"

Heero's low voice pulled her from her brief sleep. "Sorry," she whispered groggily, blinking awake. Her eyes still felt heavy, and all she wanted to do was keep her head resting against Heero's shoulder. Even more than that, she wanted to snuggle against his chest, like she used to do, but it was nearly impossible to snuggle in a spacesuit. All of a sudden she was uncomfortably hot, and wanted out of the thing.

"It's all right," he said. Relena opened her eyes fully to see Heero gazing at her. She realized they were still inside Wing Zero's cockpit, but Heero had taken off his own suit and was wearing the same leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and boots she had seen him wearing in her house earlier that day. Or was it yesterday? It already felt like ages ago. But, then, she was exhausted and her mind was hazy. Weeks could have passed, for all she knew.

Heero had also removed her helmet at some point; Relena wondered how she'd managed to sleep through _that_. She didn't have much of a chance to wonder about anything else as he cupped her face in his hands, and leaned in close.

"Relena..." He was giving her that tender look she so cherished; his deep blue eyes were swimming, and it was proving difficult to avoid getting swept up in their depths. She thought, for a second, that he even seemed nervous, as if he didn't quite know what to say. Heero swallowed, as if composing himself, before continuing. "I… I can't even begin to tell you…"

Heero didn't finish his sentence; Relena didn't let him. Because she felt that if she didn't kiss him right then, she would go completely crazy. She pressed her lips firmly against his without a second thought, and was rewarded by his lips parting. Heero kept his hands on her face as he deepened the kiss. Relena forgot all about the fact that she was wearing a spacesuit as she became newly inflamed from head to toe. The rush spreading throughout her body was a high unlike any other. Heero's touch was comforting, safe and familiar, and yet terrifyingly intoxicating.

She wanted this. God, how she wanted this. How long had it been since she'd indulged this side of her? Since she'd indulged in _him_?

Relena paused long enough to inhale before her mouth closed around Heero's again, giving him plenty of room to push his tongue inside. She let her tongue encircle his, relishing their intricate dance.

It had been far too long.

Heero's kisses were searing, like wildfire. It wouldn't take long - it never did - for things to ignite out of control.

They continued kissing, drinking one another in as if they both were trying to satisfy an unquenchable thirst. Relena cursed her spacesuit because she couldn't run her fingers through Heero's hair, or feel his body pressing up against hers, but then she knew things would have gone further. _Much_ further. Whenever Heero had kissed her liked that, it always meant they were at the point of no return. In the past, whenever he initiated intimacy, Relena rarely denied him. Even when they'd had some of their most bitter arguments, they often ended with sex.

But, then, sex had never been their problem.

Relena felt a stab of guilt as her mind flicked over to Paul. All of a sudden she felt like the brazen type of adulteress she'd read about in those trashy paperback romance novels. She wasn't that girl, though. Was she? Technically, yes. She had started this. She was cheating. And on a good man who had never done anything to deserve that sort of treatment. Even if she and Paul hadn't taken their relationship to that level, Relena realized that _this_ was wrong.

But this was _Heero_. Relena was lost in the moment, completely paralyzed, hyperfocused on the feel of his lips, the way his mouth enveloped hers. Surely, kissing one's ex-husband didn't count. Or did it? And if it did, what was she going to do about it?

What _should_ she do?

She knew the right thing to do would be to stop kissing her ex-husband, at least until she had a chance to talk to the man she was currently dating. But Relena couldn't quite believe she had ended up in this position. It was surreal, kissing Heero again, after years. Was _this_ what it took to bring them back together, at last? It felt like fate. Destiny.

And so there she was, tangled up with her ex, worrying about another man, who may or may not have been in serious trouble. What sort of person had she become?

Eventually the guilt rang too loudly in her head to continue, and Relena broke away from Heero's hold.

"We need to talk," she said, gasping for air. She made firm eye contact with him to make sure he knew she meant business. Heero's eyes hardened.

"Later," he said flatly. "First, we need to get you to sick bay."

"All right," she sighed, knowing he was right. Now was not the time for a heated discussion. Or any discussion, for that matter. All of a sudden, Relena felt weak and sick.

She let Heero guide her out of the cockpit, onto the open ramp, where he grabbed hold of a thick cable. He kept one arm clutched tightly around her middle, which thumped in a dull ache.

"Hold on," he instructed before leaping off the side of the ramp and sliding down the cable. Relena felt her stomach lurch as they swung down and landed on the hangar floor. She looked up to see Wufei's Gundam, next to Zero. The two pods from the shuttle were on either side of the Gundams, pried open and empty. Wufei must have dealt with Alicia and the two men while Relena was asleep.

She watched as Heero kicked the Gundam's right foot and the cable he'd used retracted, and the cockpit ramp slid back into place. He turned back to her as she clutched a hand to her right side. He frowned and rushed back over to her.

"Relena, what's wrong?!"

"Help me out of this suit, Heero, please," she groaned, clenching her teeth against the pulsating pain. "I'm dying in here, it's so hot…"

Heero wasted no time moving behind her and tugging down the heavy zipper that held the suit together. Relena stepped out of it gratefully and stood barefoot on the cool cement of the hangar floor- she'd had to leave her heels behind on the shuttle in order to fit into the suit. She still felt too hot and sweaty in her skirted business suit. She wrenched off her blazer and dropped it on the floor next to the discarded spacesuit.

She saw Heero's face contort as his eyes landed on her abdomen, on the blood stain that showed where she had been shot. He reached out his arms to her.

"Let me see," he said gently, but firmly. Relena remained still as Heero slowly pulled the bottom of her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt. She looked down at her bare stomach and saw that the white bandage Graham had placed over her stitches was completely soaked through.

Relena's head swam, and she swayed on her feet. Heero immediately placed a hand on her back, steadying her. His other hand went under her rear as he lifted her in his arms.

He carried her through the hangar to a steel door with a panel. Relena briefly wondered how Heero would gain entry with his hands full, but her question was answered as he completed a retinal scan. A blue light flashed and the door slid open, revealing a dimly lit, industrial hallway. Relena remembered from past trips aboard the Aventinus that the hallways from any various docking bay connected to the ship's main concourse. She had never been in that particular hangar before, but figured it was probably built just for mobile suits.

Something she wasn't supposed to know about.

Relena's head only seemed to grow heavier as Heero raced down the hallway. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rest her head on his shoulder. But now, her head was throbbing. _Everything_ throbbed. She wondered why her pain was so much worse now than it was earlier. She wasn't prepared for each new level of intensity as it arrived, like a shockwave. Even in childbirth, she had never known this kind of pain.

Eventually Heero's movements slowed to a stop, and Relena could hear various voices around her, raised in concern, although she could no longer make out what anyone was saying. Finally, she allowed herself to drift...

* * *

 _\- RFP_


	22. Love and Loyalty

Heero sat on a metal chair in the waiting area of the sick bay, crouched forward with his elbows on his knees, hands laced before him. It was an anxious pose, one he rarely assumed, but he couldn't deny he was worried about Relena. Handing her over to the medical team had been difficult for him; he'd wanted to stay with her. When a nurse emerged shortly after and said they were bringing Relena into the operating room, Heero's chest squeezed, the way it had hours before when Quatre had first sensed she'd been hurt.

Now, Heero was reminded of all the times he'd waited for Relena in doctor's offices and hospitals in the months leading up to Ella's birth. He had been just as anxious for her then, if not more so. But back then, his fears were alleviated by Ellie's arrival; now, the best news he could hope for was a successful surgery.

Heero was fixated on the old analog clock hanging on the wall across from him. Every second that ticked by was a fresh agony.

He hadn't known the full extent of Relena's injuries, nor that she was in so much pain. She had hidden it well. Although he knew well enough from his own experiences how adrenaline could mask even the most excruciating of sensations. And how pain had a way of rushing in with a vengeance long after the fact. He knew Relena was strong and fit, and she could handle it - she'd _been_ handling it - but the thought of her being in any pain at all was unbearable.

 _I should have been there for her,_ he chided himself over and over. _I should've been there._

Heero watched, over a seemingly endless ninety minutes, as doctors and nurses rushed in and out of the sick bay, wheeling in more patients on stretchers. Some were awake, some not. He wondered absentmindedly if the sedative had been strong enough to actually kill any of the passengers. He also wondered about the body of the man he'd left floating out in space. The horrified expression, frozen on the man's face as he died, continued to haunt Heero, even if the bastard who hurt Relena had deserved his fate.

One hour and fifty-seven minutes into his wait, the doors separating the waiting area from the rest of the sick bay slid open, and Sally stepped through. Heero all but bolted from his seat.

"How is she?"

"Doing fine." Sally tipped her head and smiled at him. "She's alert, and asking for you."

Those had to be some of the sweetest words in the English language. Heero could feel relief flooding through him.

"Can I see her?" he asked with more eagerness than he would normally reveal.

"Soon," said Sally. "They're just finishing up her stitches now. We only used a local anesthetic so she was awake for the procedure, but she was in good spirits throughout. Of course, I'm sure the morphine helped with that a little." She gave Heero a wink. "The good news is, we extracted the bullet fragments from her lower right abdominal wall, and it looks like we got everything. She'll be sore for a while, but I expect she'll start to feel a lot better soon."

Heero grimaced at the thought of Relena witnessing such a surgery. Luckily she wasn't the squeamish type; if anything, knowing her, she'd probably found the whole thing strangely fascinating.

"How bad was it?" he asked Sally.

"Not that bad, considering." Sally shrugged one shoulder. "I've seen much worse. All in all, the entry wound was pretty clean, for a penetrating abdominal trauma. No exit wound and no organ or tissue damage, so she's pretty lucky. But, like I said, it's going to sting for a bit. I can prescribe more painkillers as needed. For now she's had the morphine, and an antibiotic to stave off any potential infection. But so far, so good." Sally paused her summation and frowned. "I'd like her to stay on bedrest for the next twenty-four hours, though, to make sure those stitches stay put. And she'll need to alert us immediately of any severe pain or sudden bleeding."

"Whatever you think is best." Heero could have cried in relief, but he worked to keep his face impassive. "Thank you." He reached over and briefly grasped Sally's shoulder.

"Of course." Sally mirrored his movements and gave his shoulder a clap. "You have nothing to worry about; she's in good hands here."

He nodded. "I know."

"Now all you have to do is let her rest." Sally wagged a finger at him. "I mean it. No more drama."

Heero's brows arched. "What do you mean?"

Their attention was diverted as a pair of double doors on the opposite side of the room swung open. Zechs strode inside, still clad in his Preventers uniform, his long hair streaming behind him.

"How's Relena?!" he demanded before he'd even fully entered the room. Sally gamely repeated the same information she'd given Heero. After a moment, Zechs appeared to relax.

"Good," he said at last. "I'm glad to hear it." His eyes slid over to Heero, and Heero thought he caught a flash of annoyance. Clearly, Zechs was still blaming him for the whole thing. Heero was tempted to address the elephant in the room, even if meant having it out with Zechs right then and there, when Sally spoke again.

"And I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Heero," she addressed Zechs, balling her hands at her hips. "Don't bring any family drama onboard, all right? Relena needs her rest; she can't be troubled with trivial things right now."

Zechs cocked a bow. "Trivial things? You mean like that little _slut_ under your command?" He glowered at Sally before throwing an angry look at Heero.

Heero immediately bristled. "What did you say?" Zechs took a threatening step toward Heero, but Sally quickly moved in between them.

"Now, boys." She held a hand in front of each man's chest. "This is exactly what I'm talking about! Can't you behave yourselves for five minutes?"

Zechs's nostrils flared as he continued to bear down on Heero. "Tell that to Yuy. He's the one screwing around. With one of _your_ recruits, no less."

Sally huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We're all adults here, Zechs. You know Preventers doesn't have any sort of set policy on that. And _you_ should know, guy who married a fellow agent."

Zechs turned burning eyes from Heero to Sally. "We were together long before Preventer ever existed."

"Yeah, but you weren't _married_ ," Sally said pointedly. "Anyway, all I'm saying is Heero is free to date-" she glanced back at Heero, "or do _whatever_ with whoever he wants. He and Relena are divorced, remember?"

The blond man's face reddened until he looked like he might explode. "Divorce is an abomination!" he shouted, whirling on Heero. "Any relationship outside the bonds of marriage is adultery, and sinful in the eyes of God." He thrust a finger at Heero's chest. "You should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you humiliate my sister by running around with that pathetic trollop?!"

Heero just rolled his eyes. "Make sure you say the same thing to your sister. Apparently she's been dating. And anyway, none of that matters now, because Relena and I are back together."

Zechs slowly lowered his hand back to his side, his eyes never leaving Heero's. "You are?"

Heero nodded with a tilt of his chin. "That's right."

Zechs stepped back and folded his arms over his chest, maintaining a firm, yet slightly less aggressive, stance. "Then you'd better set that girl straight. She's been running her mouth about you."

Heero frowned at him. "What?"

"Yeah, he's right about that." Sally sighed and shook her head. "Let's just say we had an interesting shuttle ride..."

Heero's scowl deepened. "What did she say?"

"It's not important," said Zechs. "All that matters is you end whatever was going on between you… before Relena finds out about it. I don't think she'd take it too well. This clueless _child_ is quite disrespectful."

"She's not a child," Heero retorted, more out of defense for himself than Raquel, who was in her mid-twenties. She wasn't _that_ young, and he wasn't some kind of pervert. "What did she say?" he asked again.

Sally waved a hand. "She made some careless remarks about 'hooking up' with you. I'm sure she's just jealous and trying to make herself feel better or something. But if you _are_ back with Relena, then you need to break up with your girlfriend, anyway."

"She's not my girlfriend," Heero growled.

Sally lifted a hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh. "Oh, _sure_ she's not," she said, her tone dripping. "She's only about _this close_ to getting 'zero one' tattooed on her ass…"

Heero felt his face flame. "That's ridiculous."

"Damn right it is," Zechs glowered. "Just make sure you nip this thing in the bud, before it gets out of control. It's embarrassing."

"But again, _please_ try to rein in the drama." Sally pressed her hands together in a praying gesture. "The last thing I need is for one of our newest agents to go ballistic because her boyfriend dumped her for his ex-wife..."

"Ballistic?" Heero echoed, his consternation growing. "You think Raquel might become… unhinged?"

"No more so than a typical twenty-something drama queen," Sally said with an exaggerated eyeroll. "But still. We don't need to deal with that when we're all stuck together, in space. I agree with Zechs; it's better to do it sooner than later. Just… let her down easy, if you can."

Heero clenched his jaw. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be so easy. He was not looking forward to having any sort of discussion with Raquel. Especially when he needed to pay Relena his full attention.

"Look, I have to go make the rounds on my other patients, but I'll come back and let you know when they've moved Relena to one of the private rooms," Sally was saying. "She'll be more comfortable in there. And anyway, I'm sure you could both use the privacy." She gave Heero a shameless wink and swept out of the room.

He was left with his former brother-in-law, who was still giving him a scornful side-eye. Heero gestured back toward the row of metal chairs where he'd been sitting.

"Might as well wait," he suggested. Zechs shook his head.

"I can't sit still at a time like this. We've finished recovering all of the passengers and personal items from the shuttle. But there's still that body of the man you said is the chief suspect."

Heero had wondered if anyone had made a recovery effort. "Are you going back out there?"

"Someone has to do it," Zechs grumbled.

"Then take Zero." Heero tipped his head toward Zechs. "It'll be easier to grab him that way." The blond man's brows lifted in surprise.

"You sure about that?"

Heero shrugged. "I don't need it right now, so why not? Unless Wufei wants to go back out in Shenlong, but I'm sure he'd rather maintain command of his ship."

"Wufei was preparing to depart for the colony," Zechs said. "I assumed you would be joining him shortly."

"Not until I've checked on Relena," Heero said firmly.

"I see." Zechs rubbed a hand over his chin. "Better yet, you stay here," he said to Heero. "I'll go on to L4 after I've recovered the body. That is, if you don't mind my borrowing Zero for a little longer."

Heero paused to consider this. "That's fine, although I already told Une I would head straight to the colony-"

"You can assist us once the Aventinus arrives," Zechs cut in. "For now, I think you should stay with Relena."

Heero chuckled under his breath. "Relena will probably scold me for staying here while so many others are in need. Of course, she'll want to go, too."

"Then it's up to you to talk her out of it," Zechs said sternly. "Don't let my sister throw herself in harm's way, so soon after she escaped death." His gaze tightened. "I know how she can be. But she'll listen to you, Yuy."

"Our history would suggest otherwise," Heero muttered, reaching up to rake a hand through his hair.

"Your history gives you more pull with her than you realize," said Zechs, looking away from Heero briefly. "I know how she feels about you, still. I've tried to keep out of it, but you should know the truth." Zechs turned his eyes back to Heero in a level gaze. "She told me once she deeply regretted how she handled the separation; that she gave up on you too soon. I couldn't help but note that you did the same. You're both equally guilty, in my eyes."

Heero chuckled under his breath. "Good to know."

"That said," Zechs continued, "it's up to you, as the man in the partnership, to be the assertive one. That's where you have been lacking. Which, frankly, surprised me, given how dedicated you have always been to my sister. I never expected to see you walk away without a fight." Zechs's eyes tightened, and Heero's shoulders sagged.

"Yeah," Heero agreed. "I fucked up." He lowered his eyes. "I thought she didn't want me any more."

"She was angry with you," said Zechs. "For what, exactly, I don't know. She's kept much of that to herself. Which says something about her loyalty, if you ask me." Zechs's expression turned steely. "I would have expected you to show her the same courtesy. But you left."

"She kicked me out," Heero muttered.

"You should have gone back," Zechs countered. "Although I understand what it's like to have a soldier's pride. Still. It was your home and your family."

"It was _her_ home," Heero corrected him. "Always has been. The scales have never been even for us." He paused, reflecting on how inadequate he had felt as a husband. He could never provide for Relena the way she did for him.

"You know she never cared about that," Zechs said, cutting into Heero's new stream of thoughts. "She was always happy to give you a safe haven. Noin has always done the same for me. Money has nothing to do with it; every former soldier should have support, if he's lucky enough to find it." Heero nodded morosely.

"I could never do for Relena what she's done for me. I could never give her what she deserves."

"From what I understand," Zechs said, "you already have."

Heero didn't know how to respond to that. He still struggled with the idea that he could ever be enough for Relena, which had contributed to his sealing himself off emotionally from her over the years. But after everything that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours, from the shuttle hijacking to Relena getting shot and kidnapped, he was newly determined to be there for her no matter what. Even if, for whatever reason, she decided to shut him out, he knew Zechs was right; Heero needed to fight for her. _For us._

"You say she's been dating?" Zechs furrowed his brow as Heero nodded. "Well, this is the first I've heard of it," Zechs continued. "As far as I know, Relena has been burying herself in work, as usual. I'd be surprised to see her involved with anyone at this point. I can only assume it isn't serious."

"She's been seeing this guy for a year," Heero muttered. "She says he wants to marry her."

Zechs's frown bent into a full-on scowl. "Who is this man? I haven't been informed of any of this."

Heero shrugged one shoulder. "I doubt Relena was planning to seek your permission."

Zechs scoffed. "She would know that I wouldn't approve." His lips curled up slightly. "I'd rather deal with the devil I know."

Heero arched a brow. He was surprised to hear that his former brother-in-law - and rival - felt that way about him. He assumed Zechs would always distrust him on some level. The other man was more loyal than he realized.

Heero's natural inclination was to shroud his emotions from the other man. But apparently Relena had been honest with her brother about her true feelings for Heero; Heero no longer saw any harm in doing the same. Everything was on the table, and the stakes were at an all-time high.

"I never wanted a divorce, you know," Heero said, keeping his face turned to the side. "I love Relena. I always will."

Zechs made a low grunt in his throat. "I don't think I've ever heard you say anything like that, Yuy."

"Yeah, well I probably haven't said it enough," Heero admitted. "If she doesn't know it, it's my own fault."

"Then make sure to tell her that," said Zechs. Heero nodded resolutely. "Try not to let her go this time," Zechs added earnestly. "Let me know if you need me, or Noin, to talk to her, if you think it might help."

"I appreciate that," said Heero, meaning it. "Just don't lead with all that abomination stuff… I doubt Relena will appreciate it."

"Fair enough." Zechs gave him a rare smile. "Remember, no matter what happens with you and Relena… we are still brothers." Heero's eyes widened; it was the last thing he ever expected Zechs to say. The blond man clasped a hand over Heero's shoulder, fixing him with a solemn gaze. "You can't divorce families."

With that, he released Heero's shoulder and turned on his heel, back toward the set of doors leading out of the waiting area.

"Hey, Zechs," Heero called after him. The blond man turned to look back over his shoulder, sending his long hair swishing.

"Yes?"

Heero's lips tugged into a smile. "Careful with my mobile suit." Zechs's light eyes sparked.

" _You_ be careful with my sister."

"I will," Heero said, the humor leaving his eyes. "You have my word." Zechs nodded and raised his right hand in a parting gesture before pushing open the double doors and disappearing from sight.

Heero returned to his seat and waited several more minutes before Sally reappeared.

"Hey, Heero!" she said cheerfully as she bounded back into the room. "Relena's all settled." Heero's relief must have been completely visible, as Sally's face broke into a grin. "You ready?"

Heero was beyond ready.

He leapt up from his seat, grateful to be out of the metal chair and on his way back to Relena.

* * *

 _A/N: Hi everyone! I just noticed the length of this chapter is pretty much double the length of my usual postings, but there was a lot to say and this is how I chose to break it up! I wouldn't want to disrupt the flow by splitting this in two. So, more drama for your Thursday! Hope you don't mind ;)_

 _Many of you have expressed concerns over Relena's health, so I hope this puts your minds at ease! She's not totally out of the woods, but she is definitely on the mend. Don't worry, you'll be seeing a lot more of her in the next chapter..._

 _As for Heero, his conversation with Zechs revealed some interesting tidbits... It sounds like Relena didn't really want a divorce either (_ "Duh," _most of you are eye-rolling right now), and she hasn't told many (or any?) people about Paul; not even her own brother (or possibly Noin, for that matter). What else do you think Relena might be hiding?_

 _What about Heero? Did he give Zechs enough of an explanation as to why he agreed to the divorce in the first place? Do you feel like you can understand his insecurities over his relationship with Relena, or do you want to see more of his reflections? Shameless plug, but you can check out my companion story,_ All You Had To Do Was Stay, _to see more of Heero's evolution as a romantic partner. I am toying with adding another chapter from his POV to explore how he grew into his role as a husband and a father. That is if you guys want to see more of that sort of thing... there will be some more explanation here in the main story as well, so please stay tuned!_

 _Thank you, as always, for all of your support! I hope you're having a great week!_

 _\- RFP_


	23. Scratching the Itch

_A/N: OMG YOU GUYS. Drop the confetti and pop the champagne! I'm so excited to reach 200 reviews for this story, thanks to all of you! Eeeeeee! I really have no words..._

 _Actually, I have a lot of words. I'll save 'em all for this chapter... the longest one (for this story) yet. Since you guys don't seem to have a problem with longer chapters, I'm just gonna go for it! Time for some 1xR #SundayFunday. I hope you enjoy!_

 _Spoiler alert: This is going in a... direction. Blah, never mind. I hate spoilers. Happy reading!_

 _Love, hugs and Heero!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

For the first time in what felt like forever, Relena was truly alone.

The thought dawned on her after a nurse had wheeled her from the sick bay, down a long corridor past other medical rooms, into her own private room with a door and everything. The nurse had helped her settle into bed and left shortly after, only to be replaced by Sally. Once Sally was satisfied with Relena's recovery progress, she had left her to her own devices.

Relena spent a few anxious minutes watching the clock on the wall opposite her bed. She was never alone. Not like this. In bed at night, sure, but more often than not she and Ella fell asleep together, either reading or catching up on their favorite TV shows. If Relena wasn't in the office, where she had a full staff, or out somewhere with Paul or other colleagues, she was home with Ellie. Things were never this… quiet.

She didn't _want_ to be alone. She wanted to call Ellie, or Noin, but Sally had already explained that they were in a safe house, so any messages to them would have to go through Une first. Standard operating procedure. Relena was sure Heero already knew of this, but hoped he would have some sort of workaround…

 _Heero._ Sally had mentioned he was waiting for her. Relena hadn't expected him to stick around; that was against _Heero Yuy's_ personal standard operating procedure. She figured he would be well on his way to the colony by now.

But she realized, even as the seconds took forever to tick by, that very soon, she would no longer be alone.

Her heart raced. On a deeper level, she wasn't sure how that made her feel. She didn't know what to expect. Would _he_ expect to pick things up where they'd left off earlier? Relena still felt that would be wrong, at least on some level. There were things they needed to talk over first… a lot of things.

For now, she tried to get comfortable in her new surroundings. She had stayed on the Aventinus before, and the room she was in was a lot like the dorm rooms she'd seen - beige-colored walls, matching curtains over windows that were either there for mere decoration, or would show nothing but the blackness of space. The room had a small bathroom with its own shower stall and a storage area for medical supplies. There was nothing else in the room to look at, and Relena didn't have her phone or any other mobile device to distract herself with. She could easily drive herself up the wall with thoughts of Heero, or Paul, and circle back around again…

She sighed and settled against the pillows, trying to control her errant thoughts. But she felt restless. And itchy... so itchy. Like she needed to crawl out of her own skin. Sally had mentioned some side effects Relena might experience from the pain meds, but Relena hadn't paid much attention because once they'd been administered, she felt fine. The pulsating pain in her side had vanished. At first she felt warm, fuzzy, and more than a little loopy. Now, she just felt… hyper. She wanted to get up out of bed and pace. Or do yoga. Or something.

More than anything, she wanted out of the paper-thin gown the nurses had given her earlier. They'd confiscated her blood-stained clothes, for evidence or who knows what, and Relena didn't expect to ever see them again. She hadn't cared at the time; by then the morphine had kicked in, and she'd felt... awesome. And then she'd been fascinated watching the team of doctors and nurses extracting fragments of the bullet from her abdomen. They showed her piece by metal piece, with bits of her flesh and blood clinging to them, as they plunked each fragment into a glass jar. At one point Relena was pretty sure she'd asked if she could keep it, and earned strange looks.

She gave up trying to lie still and kicked off the thin cotton blanket that was covering her, then, finally, yanked the gown off and flung it on the floor. Then she got out of bed and set about finding something to take the itch away. She wandered over to a table with various shelves and drawers and started rummaging. Surely they would contain some calamine lotion or a balm of some sort?

Relena barely took notice when the door to her room opened.

* * *

"For the last time, Heero, I swear she's _fine_ ," Sally was reassuring him for what had to be the hundredth time as the two made their way down the corridor toward the room where Relena was staying.

Heero had been peppering Sally with questions. He couldn't help it. This was _Relena_ ; he had to make sure she was all right. The fact that she'd been shot was killing him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to relax until he could verify with his own two eyes that she was, in fact, fine.

"How much morphine did you administer?" he asked warily.

"Enough," Sally answered with an eye roll. "I _do_ know what I'm doing, you know. I told you, Relena's case was not atypical. And she's been handling everything like a pro. She hasn't even gotten sick or anything."

"Hm." Heero lips creased as they walked. He didn't like the idea of Relena having to take any form of opiate, knowing how devastating the side effects could be. Of course, he realized he was merely trading one worry for the other; now that he knew her surgery had been successful, he had to find something else to be anxious about.

But, then, he'd always had a lot of anxiety when it came to Relena.

Never mind the fact that they still had a number of unresolved issues to contend with - he would have to deal with those things later. For now, he just wanted to see her. That would be enough.

Sally came to a stop in front of a closed door and put a finger to her lips, as if Heero needed a reminder that Relena might be sleeping. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes at the well-intentioned doctor. But Sally's back was to him as she opened the door and stepped into the room. Heero followed close behind.

"Hey, Relena," Sally said quietly, "How are you feel- Oh, god."

Heero stopped dead in his tracks, a chill running down his spine, as Sally held out an arm to stop him before he could fully enter the room.

"What-" he started, but Sally turned around and gave him a forceful shove in the chest, nearly sending him back out into the hallway.

"Out!" she instructed, then turned and called over her shoulder, "Wait, Relena, let me help you out with that-"

Heero pushed Sally to the side with little effort. "What's wrong?!" he demanded. If Relena was hurt, or something had happened to her, why would Sally try to keep him away? He shot the doctor a glare as he swept past her.

"Heero-" Sally raised another hand to stop him, her face beet red. What on earth could she-

Heero froze. He could have sworn his heart stopped.

Relena stood at a table next to her bed, her back to him, rummaging through a drawer and carelessly tossing various medical supplies over her shoulder.

She was completely naked.

The unexpected sight sent him reeling. How long had it been since he'd seen her… like _that_?! For several seconds he remained still, shamelessly dragging his eyes over every curve that was visible to him. Some of her back was covered by her long hair, but at least one of his very favorite features was prominent…

Relena noticed him, then, glancing over her shoulder. She gave him an exasperated look and turned right back around.

"There must be something…" she muttered to herself.

Heero remained frozen in shock as Sally brushed past him.

"What are you looking for?" she asked Relena in a calm voice.

"My skin feels like it's on fire," Relena answered with a slight whine.

Their conversation barely registered in Heero's mind. He was too busy taking in the familiar, tantalizing sight before him. Naturally, he had thought of what might happen once he and Relena were finally alone, again. Even Sally had suggested they could use some "privacy." And immediately his mind had gone there. How badly he wanted to kiss and touch Relena again, if she would let him. She had seemed more than willing, when they were still inside his Gundam. But there were also things he and Relena needed to discuss - pressing things. Things that…

 _Oh, God…_

His eyes trailed the length of her body. He couldn't stop staring at her. Relena had the perfect amount of curves. She always had. He wanted to…

He wanted everything.

Suddenly, he was seventeen years old again, seeing Relena undressed for the first time. At that point, they had kissed before, and they had tried things, things that they never seemed to have enough time - or nerve - to finish. That was, until one night…

" _Heero…"_

 _His hands trembled as he pulled his shirt overhead and flung it behind him. Relena had already undone his belt and was working to remove his pants. He assisted her quickly, pulling his pants and underwear down all the way and kicking them off before turning his full attention to unclasping her bra, which was proving to be more complicated than he thought. He'd wanted to impress her by completing the task with one hand this time, but gave up when he fumbled and reached his other hand around her back. He took a moment to take in her breasts. Although he had seen them a few times before, the sight of a topless Relena never failed to dazzle him. He forced his attention to removing her panties before he could go completely mad._

 _At last, for the first time, they were both fully naked together. Tension had been building between them over the past few months, since Heero had joined her security detail full-time. Despite his constant reminders, to himself, that he was there to work, Heero found that after the official work day was over, he couldn't bring himself to leave Relena's presence. She'd always managed to calm and soothe him, all while making him feel he could serve some sort of purpose outside of being an aimless soldier. She, in turn, seemed to derive some comfort from merely having him around._

 _Relena's demanding schedule found them spending days and nights together, talking constantly about work, her plans and concerns for the Earth and colonies, and the fledgling government she was hoping would start to stabilize. She was always hopeful, and Heero found it contagious. He began to cherish their time together, although he largely kept the sentiment to himself. He figured it was enough for her to know he wanted to be there with her. What more was there to say? They were helping each other, in their way._

 _Those first few months on the job involved quite a bit of travel. Relena, still relatively new to the Vice Foreign Minister position, was touring all of the colonies - every last one of them, in all four clusters. When Heero found out, he'd have been damned to let her do that alone. She had bodyguards, but in Heero's eyes, they were woefully inadequate; no one could keep her as safe as he could. Wherever she went, he needed to be there._

 _He needed_ her _._

 _Over the next few months, that need became more gnawing. They started with kisses. It was awkward at first, figuring out the semantics of it. Heero couldn't understand why putting his mouth on another person's - hers - brought him a rush of pleasure he had never known. But once they started, he needed to continue exploring these new sensations. He needed to keep exploring_ her. _Kissing led to touching, and they started sneaking off to fool around, in hotels rooms or any place they could find privacy, whenever they could find the time. But there were always interruptions or complications that kept them from completing what Heero had determined was mission critical._

 _But now, finally, the tour was over, and there was a brief reprieve in the grueling schedule. They were back in Brussels, in Relena's estate on the outskirts of town. Upon arrival, Relena had offered Heero his own room; he had placed his few belongings in there._

 _It quickly became apparent that he wouldn't be needing it._

 _He gazed down at Relena where she laid beneath him on top of her duvet. She was smiling but he could tell she was nervous; she was trembling, too. Heero didn't even realize he was shaking until Relena pointed it out, giggling. She reached her arms up and looped them around his neck, pulling him down to her. Heero tried to relax and nestled against her, newly tantalized by the feel of her bare skin against his as their legs became entwined. His heart thumped wildly. She was so warm, and impossibly soft. He pressed his lips to her neck and waited for her signal to take things further._

 _She giggled against his chest. "I'm sorry." She sighed, but it almost sounded like a whimper. "I'm nervous."_

" _Don't be," Heero said firmly, although he was anxious, too. Relena pulled her face back from his chest, her hands grasping his shoulders still, and looked him in the eye._

" _Heero… Are we really doing this?"_

 _He coaxed his lips into a smile. "Looks like it."_

 _Relena's face was flushed, but her smile widened. One of her hands left his shoulders to stroke his hair. "I can't believe it," she murmured. "After all this time, finally…"_

" _Relena…" Heero groaned, feathering more kisses against her neck. "Stop talking. Please."_

" _I'm sorry," she sighed, her fingers tangling in his hair. "I'm just giddy, I guess. I've been waiting so long for this…" She lowered her eyes, her dark lashes fluttering. "You know how I feel about you, Heero."_

 _By then his mouth was busy planting kisses down her chest. "Uh-huh…" It was difficult to focus on anything besides what was directly in front of him. Any words that came to mind seemed rather useless in the moment, but there were plenty of things he wanted to do..._

 _Relena's fingers continued to thread themselves through his hair. "How do_ you _feel?"_

 _Heero paused and looked up at her, trying to conceal his impatience. He needed her to relax or they wouldn't be able to continue. "You know how I feel, Relena."_

" _But I need you to tell me something," Relena said, her voice on the verge of a whine. "Anything. It will make this easier."_

 _He frowned. "Why?"_

 _The flush on her cheeks darkened. "Because it's new, and scary, and I want to feel close to you."_

" _We are close," he murmured. "We're very close." The only way they could get any closer… Well. Heero was more than ready to establish the necessary level of closeness._

" _You know what I mean," Relena said softly, her eyes locked on his. "Do you love me, Heero?"_

 _She bit her lower lip, moistening it ever so slightly. It was enough to drive him insane. Heero felt his pulse racing, his whole body twitching with desire, but he knew he needed to take things slowly. He paused to press his forehead to hers and breathe her in, savoring the sweet, heady scent that belonged to her and her alone. Like roses and vanilla._

" _I would do anything for you, Relena..." He tightened his embrace. He meant every word. He could sense how vulnerable she was - they both were - in that moment. He knew he needed to reassure her. "What do you want me to do?"_

 _Relena's smile reached her eyes. "Just love me, Heero. That's all I want." She lifted her hands to cup his face. Heero brought his hands up to meet hers and clasped them tightly, keeping them there._

" _I can do that," he said solemnly. "But help me. Show me." He gave both her hands a squeeze. "Tell me what you want, and I'll do it."_

 _Relena smiled more brightly then, and he judged she was satisfied with his response. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows._

" _Just take this slowly, please," she whispered, drawing his hands back down to her hips. "Guide me."_

 _He chuckled. "That's what I need you to do. I have no idea what I'm doing."_

" _Then we'll guide each other," she said, her eyes twinkling. "But I have to say it, first."_

 _Heero raised a single brow. "What?"_

 _Relena fixed him with her steady gaze, and he was struck, not for the first time, by her unwavering devotion._

" _I love you, Heero Yuy," she whispered reverently. "I always have, and I always will."_

 _Heero drew in a ragged breath, unprepared for the torrent of emotions that washed over him as Relena made her heartfelt vow. He didn't doubt a word of it, but felt unworthy of such a statement. He wondered if he could promise her the same and actually deliver. Her eyes were kind, but unyielding, and he knew he either needed to say it and mean it, or leave. Relena deserved nothing less._

 _He hoisted her up by the waist and pulled her on top of him. She sat up straight, holding onto his shoulders as her knees grazed his thighs. For a moment, he gazed at her in wonder, trying but failing to comprehend why this crazy girl would bother involving herself with him. But as he took in Relena's pink, moist lips, and her eyes, half-lidded and glazed with desire, he decided right then that he didn't care. He was no longer a soldier; they were no longer at war. Both of them were free to do what they wanted, now. And Heero knew exactly what he wanted, in that moment. And anyway, who was he to analyze the situation when this beautiful creature was straddling him, naked? This was not a battle scenario that demanded a detailed plan of attack; the strategy here was simple._

 _Conquer._

 _Or… surrender._

 _Heero cradled the back of Relena's neck and brought her head down to his, crushing their lips together in a rough, demanding kiss. She was breathless when he pulled back, just long enough to say the words._

" _Relena… I…"_

 _Her eyes were wide and expectant, but suddenly, he was tongue-tied. "I…" His heart hammered. Why couldn't he say it? Surely it wasn't that difficult. His body was capable of doing so many brazen, impossible things. Why wouldn't his tongue cooperate?_

 _She lifted a hand to his cheek and smiled as if she understood. Which only made him feel worse. But those three words she said so assuredly were foreign to Heero. He'd never once heard them said, nor ever had reason to say them. He felt as if he needed to understand love - the term, the concept - completely, in order to determine whether or not it was, in fact, what he felt._

 _What_ did _he feel? Heero's eyes narrowed. He focused on his symptoms._

 _His heart pulsed. His body ached. He swore, he could feel his blood racing. He was lightheaded as a result, like all of his blood had rushed to his…_

 _Yeah... because it had._

" _Relena… you… make me feel…" He frowned. She giggled._

" _It's all right, Heero," she whispered, tilting her face up to his, her smile widening. "I know."_

 _Relief washed over him. He was grateful Relena didn't expect him to make a spectacle of himself. He knew he felt something for her - something he had never felt before - and he knew, eventually, he would be able to put it to words._

 _But, now, he had no words. His body, his emotions, his very essence was demanding that he act._

 _Heero laid Relena back down against the mattress and parted her legs with his hands. His hands resumed their place on either of her hips, and she let out a tiny gasp as he slowly, gently eased himself inside her..._

Heero caught his breath and remembered how to use his legs. He schooled his features, walked over to the bed and picked up a blanket to cover Relena. Sally glanced up from the table, caught Heero's eye, and laughed.

"Oh, please, Heero. Cat's outta the bag now, don't ya think? Anyway, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Heero felt his face grow hot. The situation was beyond awkward, but he knew Sally was right. Long ago, he'd had to yield to the idea of other people seeing his wife undressed, especially when she was pregnant with Ellie. He wasn't ready to accept the notion that, by now, other _men_ \- other than doctors - had probably seen her that way, too.

All he could do was wait while Sally appeared to find what Relena was looking for, handing her a small white tube.

"Here you go; apply this wherever you feel the itch. I'd do it for you, but-" Sally smirked over at Heero. "I'm sure you can take it from here." She turned and spun out of the room, laughing to herself. For someone who had purported to want to avoid drama, Sally sure seemed to be enjoying herself.

The door shut with a soft click, and Relena seemed to see Heero for the first time. She cast helpless eyes up to him, and her lower lip quivered ever so slightly. It was a look Heero hadn't seen her wear in a long, long time.

Like she needed him.

"Can you help me, please?" she said without any preamble. She handed the tube to him and proceeded to climb onto the bed, lying prone on her stomach.

Heero glanced down at the tube in his hand - a generic antihistamine cream - then back to Relena. And then he couldn't tear his eyes away from her body. He knew what she was asking him to do, but naturally, he wanted to do much more.

He reminded himself she was injured and had just had a bullet extracted from her abdomen, and urged himself to cool it.

Using all the self-control he could muster, and ignoring the tightness in his jeans, Heero sat down on the edge of the bed, beside Relena's left arm, and asked her, simply, "Where?"

"Everywhere," she replied, and Heero could have fallen off of the bed.

"Uh-" he grunted, turning his face slightly away. "How about being more specific?"

" _Any_ where, Heero," she moaned, her eyes squeezed shut in apparent agony. " _Please."_

He couldn't ignore her plaintive tones. Hell, he could never ignore her.

He tore the lid clear off of the tube and squeezed a good amount of cream into his hands. Then, without over-thinking his actions any further, he began to massage the cream into Relena's shoulders and back.

" _Ohhhhhhhh."_

He was not prepared for the sounds his actions elicited. The throbbing in his jeans only worsened, rising to attention as Relena's moans evaporated into breathy sighs.

"Fuck," he gasped, then immediately halted his hands. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, although it didn't seem to bother Relena.

"Heero," she complained. "For the love of _God_ , don't stop…"

Heero released another grunt but did as he was told, spreading more cream down her lower back, closer to her…

 _Christ._

"Relena…" Heero could no longer ignore the ache. "What are we doing?"

"Just trying to cool the fire," she sighed.

"Or ignite one," Heero grumbled.

"What did you say?" Relena asked, turning her face up to look at him.

"Nothing."

"Hmmm…" Her blue eyes were sharp and assessing before she laid her head back down on the pillow. "No, I heard you. You think you're funny, don't you?"

"Are you _trying_ to provoke me?" Heero sighed as he continued to work the lotion into Relena's skin.

"No," she purred. Her tone of voice did nothing to convince him.

He seized her shoulders.

"Turn around," Heero grunted.

"What?" Relena swiveled her head back around to face him.

"Turn around," he said more gruffly. She gaped up at him.

"Why? What do you intend to do?"

Heero didn't answer her. Instead he simply stared down at her, watching as several different expressions passed over her face. Finally, she appeared to calm some, and her eyes held a soft glimmer.

"Heero…?" She said his name softly, as if she were trying to regain his attention. But his attention never wavered.

He leaned his face toward hers, ready to catch her lips with his. Relena titled her face upward, poised to accept, her eyes never leaving his.

And then her eyes bulged.

"Heero!" she gasped.

"What is it?!" He was instantly on high alert, seeing her panicked expression. "What's wrong?!"

"It burns!" she shrieked.

"What?!" Heero tore his eyes from Relena and picked up the tube of cream, and began scanning the label for possible allergens. "It's just a topical steroid-"

 _Shit._ Maybe he'd used too much.

Relena bolted up from the bed and raced into the bathroom. Heero clambered after her.

"Relena, I'm sorry-"

She was already stepping into the shower, her face gradually relaxing as water streamed over her back and shoulders.

"That's better," she said with a deep exhale. Heero stood watching her for a moment - it was another sight he couldn't bear to look away from - before Relena opened her eyes and looked over at him.

"Heero… Why are you just standing there?" she asked pointedly. Her eyes scanned his torso, her lips forming a seductive smile. His brows shot up. He didn't know why her invitation surprised him - it wasn't as if they hadn't been in this situation before, countless times.

Thousands of times.

He allowed himself to relax, and returned her smile. He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

* * *

 _A/N: Wink wink... to those of you who were hoping to see the Raquel break-up scene first... sorry, you were overruled! Heero (and his libido) overruled you. I mean, can you blame the guy? It's been a while ;) But I promise that scene is coming, and I can't wait to share it with you. Stay tuned!_

 _\- RFP_


	24. After Everything

_A/N: All I have to say is... happy hump day. :D_

 _You like long chapters? All righty then, have another! ;) Hope you enjoy!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Relena didn't see what the big deal was.

Showering with Heero, that was. It was such a basic, normal thing to do; routine, even. Something that, over the course of nearly ten years together, they had done for the sake of time and efficiency. It wasn't _always_ about sex.

Except this time it totally was.

It started out innocently enough - as innocent as such an intimate act could be. And yet, there was a kind of innocence between them, still. They had been married, after all, and every glance and touch they shared felt completely natural.

Relena managed to turn off the rapid stream of thoughts coursing through her mind and focused instead on Heero. But, then, it was impossible to focus on anything else. He kissed her, as the water cascaded over them, and she felt like she could truly breathe again. He was her oxygen.

He was everything.

His hands glided over her, soaping up her back and shoulders. Then he moved on to her arms, breasts and stomach, taking extra care to avoid getting her bandages wet. As always, Relena was impressed with his precision. And then she took her time returning the favor. As her hands made contact with the taut muscles of his chest and abdomen, Relena felt a giddiness rush over her. She could tell Heero noticed, as his lips turned up into a little smirk. It never ceased to amaze Relena, how quickly Heero could reduce her to a smitten teenager with a single glance. She had taken great pains to ignore such reactions over the past few years.

But denying her feelings for him was no longer an option. She was bare before him- even if they hadn't removed their clothing, Relena knew she wouldn't be able to hide her true emotions from him much longer.

She'd come close to caving before. Now, she was crumbling.

And he was falling right along with her. Relena could tell, as their eyes met between kisses. Heero's eyes shone, like the ocean reflecting starlight. He looked calm, assured… _happy._ Relena wondered when she had _ever_ seen Heero look so happy, especially since his default expression was usually, well, a scowl. Some women were accused of having resting bitch face; Heero had a resting death glare. Relena had had to suffer that glare many times in the past. But the Heero standing before her seemed incapable of such a severe expression.

He was far too busy kissing her.

And, now, slipping his hand between her legs. Relena sighed and closed her eyes, clasping his wet shoulders for balance, her knees going weak. She knew things were only about to accelerate-

But the shower shut itself off. Relena resisted groaning in protest. She'd momentarily forgotten the showers on these types of ships were set to timers to conserve water, as were the ones on the colonies. Relena opened her eyes, expecting to see an equally disappointed look on Heero's face, but he was still smiling.

And then he laughed. And then Relena couldn't help laughing, too. They stood there, still soaking wet and soapy, laughing for no reason at all.

And then he was kissing her again.

After a few more minutes Heero reached for a nearby towel and began to carefully dry Relena off, then she did the same for him. Relena took extra time running the towel through Heero's messy shock of hair. As water droplets clung to his face, neck and shoulders, she was swept up in how boyishly handsome he still was.

A sharp pain struck her in the chest just then. More like a pang. Longing. She saw the change in his eyes, and knew he sensed a shift.

"I've missed this," she whispered, close to tears.

"So have I." His chest rumbled as he spoke. Relena leaned her head against his chest and sighed. Heero's hands came up to rest on her shoulders, grasping her tightly to him.

"Heero," she whispered against his skin, afraid to meet his eyes. "Do you... " She let her voice trail off, too anxious to finish.

"What?" he asked. She sighed and determined to try again.

"Do you still love me… after everything?"

She waited a beat for him to answer, keeping her head down. After a moment she felt his index finger underneath her chin. He gently raised her head to look at him. His eyes held a myriad of unspoken emotions. She could see his pain, raw and unguarded, and for a moment, her heart gave into doubt.

But then the clouds over his eyes seemed to part, and he was smiling again.

"What do you think?" he murmured, the corners of his lips spreading in a reassuring smile. Relena laughed in relief.

"Heero..."

He didn't let her finish, but, then, there was nothing more to say. His lips descended on hers in a passion-filled kiss. The force of it was enough to knock Relena off of her feet, but Heero held her steady. She clutched his shoulders tightly and matched his kiss with equal intensity.

And then Heero lifted her in his arms, towel and all, and carried her back into the bedroom.

* * *

Did he love her.

Heero would have thought it was completely obvious to Relena by now. But, then, he knew he was guilty of keeping his thoughts to himself much of the time. Especially when those thoughts involved matters of the heart. But still, over the last several minutes, especially, he'd been utterly transparent with her.

She might as well have asked if he needed her. His reply would have been, only as the sun needs the sky.

But then, scientifically that would have been, technically, incorrect. This was why Heero Yuy was not a poet. Saying romantic things - or attempting to - only left him feeling tongue-tied. He would much rather express himself through other means.

Luckily, he knew plenty of ways to do so.

As he laid Relena down on the bed, he caught an apprehensive look in her eyes. His hackles went up immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked, although the last thing he wanted was to launch a long discussion and kill their momentum. He only hoped Relena wasn't having second thoughts.

"Are we really about to do this?" she whispered, her eyes wide and worried.

Her words were soul-crushing.

"You don't want to?" Heero asked, wishing he hadn't. He knew if Relena started to over-analyze their situation, they were doomed. And while he didn't want to be insensitive, he'd be damned if they didn't get to finish what they started.

Then again, sex could never be enjoyable for him if he knew Relena wasn't into it. The worried look of hers was still there, and it was his job - his mission - to figure out why, and make it disappear. Heero bent his head and kissed her neck, as if that might help reassure her.

"Relena…"

She sighed as her hands found their way into his hair. "You really think it's wise to just dive back in like this?"

Heero lifted his head and frowned at her. "Why not?"

"Because we have a lot of issues to sort through, Heero," Relena said pointedly. "We've never really discussed what went wrong, and why, and-"

"I think we both know what happened," Heero retorted. "No need to rehash everything right now."

Relena leveled him with a hard gaze. "I think it's important. We can't just sweep everything under the rug and pretend it never happened..."

"I know." Heero lifted a hand to caress her cheek, hoping he could do something to ease her mind. "But we could spend the rest of our lives trying to analyze why things fell apart. The bottom line is, we still love each other." His lips curled slightly. "At least, I'm pretty sure you still love me, although you haven't said."

Relena arched a brow at him before breaking into an unabashed smile. "Of course I love you, Heero." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I never stopped."

"Neither did I," Heero grumbled against her embrace. "Why did we bother getting divorced?"

"See?" Relena pulled back to look him in the eye. "We're not on the same page, still. That's something we need to talk about, before we decide if we can, or should, get back together."

Her words struck Heero, and not in a good way. "If?"

Relena's eyes seemed to be searching his. "We don't want to start this up again if it's only going to end in heartache. We can't do that to each other. Or to Ellie." Heero's heart was ready to slam into his stomach. But Relena gave his shoulders a squeeze. "If we do this," she whispered fervently, "then this is it. We owe that to each other."

Heero released the breath he'd been holding. "I agree." He gave Relena his most steadfast gaze. "I'm not going anywhere," he said, drawing her closer to him. "Whatever it takes to make this work, I'm in." Relena returned his embrace, holding onto him even more tightly. Heero kissed her hair, just behind her earlobe, and whispered, "I love you, Relena. I can't lose you again."

"Heero… I love you, too." Her voice caught, and suddenly her face was wet against his neck.

"Don't cry," Heero murmured, reaching up to stroke her hair. "Everything's fine now, honey."

"I know…" Relena sniffled and pulled back slightly. "And I'm happy. I just… feel guilty, that's all."

Heero's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because…" She winced. "Paul."

"Because _Paul_?" Heero grumbled. He'd nearly forgotten all about Paul. Now he hoped Relena wasn't considering going back to that guy.

Heero jerked up from his position, backing away from Relena. She reached her arms up to him, attempting to pull him back down. He could tell she read his thoughts.

"Heero," she said firmly. "You have nothing to worry about. I just feel bad that I haven't even talked to him."

"So call him," Heero said in a flat voice. "Call him right now, if you want. I'll wait." Relena's eyes bugged.

"Really, Heero?" She shot him an exasperated look. "It's not funny."

"I wasn't being funny," he glowered. "But I'd rather you get the conversation over with." He wanted to get back to _their_ unfinished business. This Paul guy could get in line, and stay there. Or, better yet, get out.

Relena let out a deep sigh. "I don't have my phone; I don't even know where it is, for that matter." She turned her head to the side, lowering her eyes. "I just feel… awful. I never thought I'd be that girl…"

"You're not that girl," Heero said quickly, tucking a finger under her chin, turning her face back toward his.

Whatever _that girl_ meant. What he wanted to say to her was that there was nothing "wrong" with what they were doing. Although even Heero knew there was some moral ambiguity here that was difficult to justify. But, still. They were married. The past-tense part didn't matter; as far as he was concerned, their union was forever. Yes, they had both tried to move on from one another, but clearly that wasn't working.

And when it really came down to it, Heero wasn't _that_ worried about some other guy. The only thing that did worry him was Relena getting too caught up in her own guilt to follow the desires of her heart. Desires Heero longed to fulfill, because he knew she wanted him to.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be naked with him.

But her face was still distressed. Heero moved off of her and laid by her side, resigning himself to a sexless night. Or morning. He'd lost track of time a while ago. For now, he would be content to lie beside Relena and let her sort out her thoughts.

She didn't speak again for a few minutes and it felt like an eternity. Finally, Heero couldn't bear it. He turned to look at Relena.

"Do you love him?"

It was gut-wrenching to ask, but he had to know.

"No," she said softly, and Heero could tell from her eyes that she spoke the truth. "But I'm still worried. I don't know if he ended up going to that conference or not. And I feel like a jerk for not even checking..."

"I'm sure we could find that out, easily enough," Heero said evenly. "I'll get someone to look into it." He lifted his hand to brush Relena's bangs back, bringing his thumb down to caress her cheek. "Sorry you're worried. But don't keep making yourself feel guilty."

Her eyes continued to sift him. "You're not jealous at all?"

"A little," Heero admitted. "You did say you wanted to marry him."

Relena's face fell. "I did _not_ say that."

"You said he asked you. And you were thinking about it," Heero said sullenly. "Close enough."

"Heero…" Relena sighed and lowered her eyes. "I wasn't _planning_ to marry Paul. I wanted to gauge how you'd feel in case something like that were to happen down the road."

Heero's face contorted. "How did you _think_ that would make me feel? You think I would've ever been okay with you remarrying?"

"Well, if we hadn't gotten back together-"

"Then what? You would've just married this guy?"

He could see that his words sent her reeling. Her eyes quickly filled with tears. Heero was instantly chastised.

"You know that I love you, Heero," she whispered, reaching up to wipe her own tears away. "I didn't _want_ to marry someone else. But I didn't expect us to reconcile, either…"

"I know." Heero wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her back to him. Now he was the one who felt like a jerk. And he knew any jealousy he felt was hypocritical. It wasn't as if _he_ hadn't tried to move on, too, in his own way, although he'd left the possibility of a second marriage clear off the table.

But it did irk him, still, that Relena had started to move on emotionally, or so it seemed. Heero may have shared his bed with other women, but he hadn't come close to giving anyone his heart. He wondered more about this guy Paul, and how he'd managed to get so close to Relena, so quickly. He imagined the man employing the typical wooing tactics- wining and dining Relena, showering her with gifts.

Heero didn't know this guy, but he already knew he didn't like him.

"So… you're not seeing anyone, then?" Relena's question hit out of nowhere. Heero had been so fixated on _her_ other relationship, he'd forgotten about his… whatever it was.

Well. He hadn't forgotten, but he'd pushed it as far from his mind as it would go. He was too late to mask his reaction from Relena, after she dropped her question like a gavel. He could tell from her expression that she already knew his answer.

"Okay…" she said slowly, taking in a ragged breath. "Who is she?"

"No one," Heero answered immediately. Relena rolled her eyes.

"She's obviously _someone_ , Heero." She looked, and sounded, hurt, and he could have kicked himself. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there's nothing to tell. It's not…" He searched his mind for the right word, hoping he wouldn't choose the wrong one, and scare Relena off. "Serious," he finished.

"All right," Relena said quietly, but she was still frowning. "Well… how long have you been seeing her?"

Heero racked his brain to remember. It wasn't a detail he'd cared to hold onto. There was no particular date seared into his memory - none like April 7, A.C. 195. Or June 3, A.C. 199, their wedding date, or November 22, A.C. 199 - Ellie's birthday.

What happened with Raquel had happened gradually. Heero hadn't even pursued her, he just… let it happen. The younger agent kept making herself known to him for a while, until Heero finally caved in. It had been sex and nothing else for him.

That was not a sentence to ever utter to his former - and future - wife, he knew.

"About six months," he finally answered, whether it was entirely accurate or not. It was a ballpark estimate.

"Six _months_?!" Relena's eyes went round. It was not the reaction Heero was hoping for; he was hoping that would be an acceptable answer, and then they could drop the matter. "I thought you said it wasn't serious?"

"It isn't," Heero said tersely, wondering why six months seemed like a bigger deal to Relena than the year she'd spent with Paul… why was Heero's situation so much worse, in her eyes?

"You're sure?" she asked insistently. "But if you've been dating a while now-"

"We're not dating," he cut in. Relena arched a brow.

"You're not? Does _she_ know that?"

Heero clenched his jaw. "I made it clear from the beginning I was not interested in a relationship."

Relena startled him by bursting out laughing, but it was not a mirthful sound. "Oh, dear," she said after she'd composed herself. "I think you're in trouble…"

"Why?" Heero growled. "I don't understand…"

"Heero," Relena said hotly, jabbing a finger at his chest, "if you've been seeing the same person for that long, it's assumed you're dating. Unless you're seeing other people as well?"

"No," Heero muttered. He didn't like where the conversation going. He _needed_ to get them back on track…

"Heero…" Relena's voice trailed off into a sigh. Heero followed her gaze as it swept over the room, but there was nothing of any interest to look at, besides the clock on the wall. He watched the second hand tick by, wondering what more there was to say.

And then Relena hit him with another revelation.

"You do realize," she said softly, "you did the same thing with me."

"Huh?" Heero's brows knit together as he tried to decode what Relena could possibly be talking about. Although Raquel had reminded him of Relena in some ways, his relationship with either woman couldn't be more different in his eyes.

"We were sleeping together for a long time before you felt the need to commit," Relena said pointedly, "or cement our relationship in any way."

Heero scowled. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is," Relena countered. "You wouldn't call me your girlfriend, remember? You hated that."

"Because I saw you as more than that," Heero said insistently. "You knew how I really felt about you."

"Not always," Relena sighed. "I was questioning our status for a good two years before-" She turned her eyes downcast. "Ellie," she finished. "And then, naturally, you proposed after you found out I was pregnant…"

"I would have done it anyway," Heero cut in. "Eventually."

Relena smiled sadly at him. "I like to think so. But we'll never know, will we? And I bet history would have repeated itself, and you would have ended up marrying this girl you're not _really_ dating. Eventually." Relena's eyes had gone to ice. "She would have convinced you, or you would've gotten her pregnant, too; and of course you would have to do the right thing…"

"No," Heero said firmly. "I would never have remarried. Believe me. And if," he added through gritted teeth, "she had gotten… pregnant, I would have paid for child support. Or an abortion," he added more forcefully. "But no way in hell would I have married her, or anyone else."

Relena did not look convinced.

"Then why bother striking up any sort of relationship?" she asked hotly. "If you weren't ever going to go the distance, what was the point? Just sex?" Her voice went up slightly on the last word, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. Heero was doubtful he could say anything in that moment to pacify her. And anyway, her accusation was true.

Still, he could find a way to put it more… delicately.

"I was lonely," he said finally. It was a shameful excuse, he knew, but it was honest.

Relena's eyes moistened. "Because of me," she whispered. "I drove you away. I-"

"Don't blame yourself," Heero murmured before brushing a soft kiss to her lips. "It happened. But it's over. I told you," he added more urgently, "I love you, Relena. You're the only one I've ever loved. End of story." He kept his gaze trained on her, hoping she could see and feel the truth behind his words.

"It's not over yet," she sighed, and Heero felt on edge all over again. "We both have to end these other relationships," she added decisively, her tone and gaze firm. "I mean, obviously."

Heero nodded solemnly. "Well, yeah," he agreed. He didn't know why he'd been afraid Relena would run from him, all over again. Instead she looped her arms around his neck and leaned further into him. He kept his arms secured around her waist.

No way in hell was he ever letting go.

"Well," Relena said into his ear, "we should probably get that over with, don't you think?"

Heero pulled back to look at her, frowning. "Right _now_?"

"Why not?" She blinked up at him. "Don't you think we should start over with a clean slate?"

He shook his head. "The slate is clean, as far as I'm concerned."

"But doesn't it feel kind of wrong, doing it like this?"

"No," Heero said flatly.

"Yes, well," Relena stammered, "if we care about these people-"

"We should care about each other more."

His words seemed to strike Relena. She paused and looked up at him as if he'd said something profound.

"Otherwise," Heero continued, "it's like we're choosing their emotions over one another's. And if we're truly starting over, we can't possibly care about anyone else more. It wouldn't be right."

"You're right," Relena said softly. "Forsaking all others…"

The familiar words brought a smile to his face. "Our vows?"

"Yes." Relena smiled at him, and the restless look finally left her eyes. At last, she seemed content. Her lips twitched slightly before she brushed a kiss to his cheek. "So what do we do now, then?" she murmured.

Heero's hands drifted down to her hips, and he gently rocked Relena backward on the bed. He moved to straddle her, placing his hands on either side of her. In that moment, and from then on, he was determined to do as he'd always done.

"Act on our emotions…"

* * *

 _A/N: Now that's what I call fan service! :D_

 _Seriously, I'm trying to give you guys what you want... within reason! Some of you are naughtier than others! You know who you are... ;) There is a little more fluff ahead (believe it or not) before we delve back into, you know, actual plot. But I hope you're enjoying this little respite from all the action. IS IT THOUGH? I mean in one sense, there is_ plenty _of action... cough cough... bahahahahahaha._

 _Thank you for all of your continued support! I couldn't do this without you._

 _Love,_

 _\- RFP_


	25. A New Mission

_A/N: The readers have spoken! More smexy fluff it is... Yes, I'm posting this in the middle of the night on a Friday :D Trying to squeeze in updates as often as I can! My wedding is now less than a month away, guys, so if I disappear for a bit, you'll know why!_

 _Thank you as always for all of the lovely feedback! You all really blow me away, especially you guest reviewers! You're all rabid 1xR fans and I love you! I wish I could address each and every one of your comments because they're all so good! So yeah, login and PM me... you know who you are, but I don't! SHOW YOURSELVES!_

 _Just kidding, you don't have to. Only if you want to :P Those of you who do take the time to message me, I really appreciate it!_

 _Happy Friyay/Saturday!_

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Their lovemaking was like therapy. Something they desperately needed but had put off for far too long.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like they were truly open to one another, and communicating more than effectively. In fact, Relena would have to say, they made a _very_ good team.

Every move Heero made was meticulous and gentle, treating Relena as if she were made of glass. She didn't mind his precision; it was impressive how he managed to keep himself in check, taking his time instead of barrelling through the act. But their slow, steady pace was in stark contrast to the heat and passion flowing between them. Relena could tell Heero was holding back for her sake, and it only made her appreciate him all the more.

As usual, though, Relena had to make the effort to turn her brain off and stay in the moment. Because her mind was distracting her, trying to make sense of where they had gone wrong, replaying every harshly spoken word, or all the times they were both too angry to say anything at all. Those moments had happened and had changed them irreparably. But here and now, in _this_ moment, none of that seemed to matter. No matter what they'd done, where it had led them, or who it'd led them to…

They had found their way back to each other.

Her heart was full, and she was grateful she and Heero were able to reconcile after all they'd been through. But she still couldn't help but want to laugh at her own stupidity. Surely she couldn't have been foolish enough to ever allow herself to lose a love like this?

Because Heero was her forever love.

He wasn't a typical guy by any means. He wasn't always pleasant; he often wasn't. He wasn't a fan of Valentine's Day or chick flicks or unwinding with a glass of wine at a city bistro late at night after work. He didn't care for marking anniversaries or making a fuss over birthday parties or any other occasion he would view as frivolous. He didn't joke often, although when he did, it never failed to catch Relena off guard and seem funnier, in the moment, than any one liner from the most famous comedian.

Heero was different, and that's what made him hers. As if he had been uniquely chosen _for_ her. Clearly, he wasn't just some guy to pass the time with. He was the guy who was always there. He didn't need Valentine's or anniversaries or bouquets of roses to hide his love behind. His love was spoken through his actions. Actions he backed up with his life.

Relena knew, beyond any shred of doubt, that Heero had rushed into space after her, fully prepared to give his life for her. He had vowed to her, long ago, he would die for her. The thought had always terrified her. Deep down, perhaps she'd never even fully believed it. They were powerful words, after all, but they were still words.

But Relena could see the fire in Heero's eyes and knew, from then on, never to doubt his word again. He had vowed to love her forever, after all. She could never forget that promise, even if other promises they'd made had been broken.

No, they weren't broken. Only damaged.

And they were fixing that, now.

When Heero was inside her, it was more than the simple act of sex. Relena felt that he was truly a part of her again. And that was what she needed to feel whole. She couldn't believe how long she'd been wandering, missing that other part of herself.

Why in the world had she ever let him go?

There was no letting go now. Heero's fingertips pressing into her hips were a tangible reminder of that. As every thrust brought him deeper, Relena swore she could feel him winding himself around her heart.

 _Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death..._

The verse, from Song of Solomon, Relena had chosen for their wedding ceremony. She had always loved those words, but they hadn't resonated as strongly, then, at nineteen.

 _Jealousy is as fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flames of God._

Now, at twenty-nine, now that they had been truly tested by fire, the ancient words rang truer than ever before.

 _Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it…_

Relena held tightly to Heero, her soulmate, her love, as they rode the waves of passion together, crashing onto the shores of hope and renewal.

They would not be severed. Never again. Nothing and no one could part them.

* * *

Heero's right arm was asleep, but he didn't dare move.

Relena was curled up beside him, her head on his right shoulder, her body angled toward his. The parts of her skin that touched his were so warm and soft. Heero derived a great deal of comfort just from having her so close.

It had been a long time.

As for being in the same position with another… there was simply no comparison. Heero had never lingered with anyone else after sex. He knew he had issues when it came to intimacy, and Relena had been the only one to help him sort through them. Even still, it had taken a lot for him to allow her to get close.

At first, he had resisted, but he was young. When he was a fifteen-year-old on a death mission, she had, frankly, bugged him. She kept showing up where she wasn't allowed or welcomed. But then, gradually, they formed a sort of understanding. And, slowly, Heero began to open up to her. He learned to trust her. And then their mutual understanding grew into something more.

Their worlds colliding.

And then their world expanded. The news of Relena's pregnancy shook Heero to his core. He was just learning to open his heart to someone; all of a sudden he had to grapple with the notion of being a father, a provider. Relena went from being his closest companion to his wife. Family. An utterly foreign concept to a wandering soldier.

A machine.

He didn't think he could ever be a father, let alone a good one. His "real" father had taught him how to shoot a gun. What could he teach his child? And a daughter, at that?

Heero smiled to himself in the darkness. He had taught Ellie how to conduct a stealth mission or two, mainly involving finding hidden snack foods; he yet to teach her how to shoot. He doubted Relena would let him, either, although he had taught _her_ plenty of self-defense moves over the years. Relena already knew how to shoot, though.

He stroked her long hair as she slumbered beside him, his breathing calm and even. He couldn't resist feathering a kiss to her forehead, hoping he wouldn't wake her. He just wanted to feel his lips on her skin again.

How he had yearned for this, over the course of nearly 1,460 nights. That was approximately how long they'd been parted. When she left it felt like a death. It almost would have been easier to bear if he'd never had to see her again. Their interactions over the first few years were torture for Heero. Eventually, he managed to come to terms with their separation. And yes, they'd grown friendlier toward each other, as the ice between them began to thaw.

But all of that… All of it only made him want her more.

Now he had her again. Now, he knew it was forever. Because he knew she loved him, and she wouldn't leave him twice. Not even the existence of another man in her life could change that; she had made that clear.

She was his. His alone.

Relena shifted and sighed beside him. He could feel her lashes flutter against his cheek. Waking up.

"Heero?" she whispered in the darkness.

"Hm?"

She stretched and sat up, looking at him. The room was pitch dark, aside from a sliver of light coming through the crack under the door, but Heero could feel her eyes on him.

"I just thought of something," she said softly.

"What is it?"

"All of my… stuff… my luggage and everything, was on the shuttle…"

"Your things were all recovered," said Heero. "I know the shuttle was cleared. I'll find everything for you later."

"Right…" Heero wondered why Relena sounded nervous. "It's just… I had medication as well…"

Her anxiety was contagious. Heero frowned and reached for her, pulling her back down against his chest. "What kind of medication?"

"Um…" Relena buried her face into his chest.

"Relena?"

"My _pill,_ Heero."

"What pill…" His words tapered off, his mouth forming a perfect "oh."'

Right. _That_ pill.

"Technically I've skipped a dose," she explained.

Heero's heart hammered in his chest.

"Yeah?"

"We… didn't use any protection."

Didn't they? Heero frowned. He always used protection.

Wait… No he didn't; not with Relena.

He'd been completely on autopilot earlier… but, then, it had felt exactly like old times. Wearing a condom had never been part of their routine.

It was a possibility…

"You're probably not pregnant," he said, sounding more certain than he felt.

"I don't know… It didn't take much for it to happen the first time, remember? Just one little slip…"

Heero remembered. Relena had started on the pill around the time they'd first become… active. But one night she'd forgotten to take it. And then they had Ellie.

"I've been on it consistently, since then," Relena continued.

"You're telling me you've never missed it before?"

"That's right."

"Not once?"

"Nope."

"Hm." Heero laid there, holding her against him, processing this. "Still…" He started. "The odds are…"

"This is my ovulation week," Relena stated calmly. "So, the odds are pretty good."

"Wow," said Heero. He didn't know what else to say.

"Heero?" Relena called him to attention. "What do you want to do?"

He thought about it for a moment. What should they do? Considering the general instability around them, it probably wasn't the best time to bring another child into the world. But, then, when was it ever? They hadn't planned on having Ellie. As teenagers, the pregnancy could have easily been an inconvenience, to say the least. But they were already more advanced than their peers. For one thing, they'd both already had secure jobs. They were young, but not too young. To those who knew them best, their teenaged marriage was hardly even a surprise.

Now, a decade later, they could certainly handle another kid. And they were far from too old, either. They were around the age when most people _started_ having kids.

This was not bad news, Heero decided. He knew immediately what he wanted to do.

He reached for Relena's face and kissed her with all the passion he had. She inhaled a gasp.

"Heero… what are you doing?" she whispered as their lips parted.

Heero smiled and pushed her gently back against the mattress.

"Making sure," he said.

Heero resumed his earlier position and, after a moment, rapidly increased his pacing. At this point Relena would usually complain, if he started out too fast; she always preferred when he took his time.

Not this time. He could see that she understood. He was a man on a mission.

This was one mission he hadn't hesitated to accept.

He could picture it. The positive sign on the pregnancy stick. Relena's swollen belly, months from now. The look of love in her eyes. The permanent smile it would bring to her face.

Heero could already feel the pride swelling in his chest. This was something he wanted- something he knew he could do for her, easily. For them. For their family.

And, anyway, he'd always wanted a son...

* * *

 _;)_

 _\- RFP_


	26. Revelations

_A/N: Happy Monday! Thank you once again for all of your kind reviews! Here's another longish chapter... I'm glad you guys like them! This one has a little more plot as well as some past revelations (hence the title), and only a dash of sugar ;) Don't worry, I'm suuure there will be plenty more ahead..._

 _\- RFP_

* * *

Heero Yuy wasn't one to laze around in bed, but even after spending hours in the dark with Relena, it was all that he wanted to do.

He couldn't get enough of her. And yet, he also couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt that his fellow Gundam pilots - including her brother - were hard at work trying to control the chaos that had erupted on L4.

While he was keeping busy, making love to his wife.

And he wasn't going to bother with the _ex-_ prefix any longer. As far as he was concerned, the "ex" was null and void.

Heero had to get up at some point, but he didn't want his time with Relena to end. He didn't know when else they would get to spend so much uninterrupted time together in the immediate future. It all depended on what was happening on the colony, not to mention on Earth. For the past several hours, Heero had been out of step with what was going on in the outside world.

At long last, he turned on a light, and glanced over at the clock on the wall. Allowing for the time difference between Brussels and the current time on the Aventinus, Heero realized that it had been a full twenty-four hours since the harrowing events of the past day began to unfold.

 _What a day._ It certainly hadn't ended the way he'd predicted when he'd woken up in Luxembourg the previous day, wrapping up a week-long Preventers assignment. Afterward he'd headed straight to Brussels to relieve Relena of parenting duty for the week while she headed to space.

Their exchange had been pleasant enough. Heero could remember fighting against his attraction to Relena, as always. But then something in her eyes had troubled him as they parted ways. It was almost as if she knew, then, that something might happen to her. But how could she have known?

He wasn't sure if that mattered, now. They were already worlds away from yesterday.

Heero gently pecked Relena's cheek before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and picking up his discarded clothes. She was still asleep and he hoped she'd stay that way for a while. She needed her rest. Neither her injury nor side effects from the pain medication seemed to be troubling her any longer, but Heero knew her body still needed time to heal.

And, perhaps, grow his future offspring.

He couldn't be sure if his efforts to impregnate Relena were successful, but he'd certainly given it his all. They would know in approximately four to six weeks…

Heero used the bathroom, splashed his face with cold water and unwrapped a new toothbrush to brush his teeth before dressing and returning to the bedroom. By then Relena was starting to stir.

"You're leaving?" she asked groggily, attempting to lift her head from her pillow but not altogether succeeding. Heero sat down next to her and gathered her into his arms.

"Not yet," he murmured. "I'm going to check in with the others, then I'll be back shortly."

Relena reached up and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "Think you can find my phone? And other things?"

"Of course," he said. "For now, just try to rest."

He could see the protest welling up in her eyes as he bent his head to kiss her goodbye, for now. But she didn't raise any arguments as he rose from the bed and headed for the door.

Heero stepped out into the corridor he'd headed down hours earlier and headed back through the sick bay, toward the ship's main concourse. As he rounded a corner, he glimpsed a familiar head of hair.

"Hey." Trowa turned his head, caught Heero's eye and greeted him first, strolling back toward him. He was wearing a Preventers-issued sweatshirt and sweatpants, the off-duty uniform agents usually wore in training or downtime aboard the Aventinus.

"Hey," Heero returned, falling into step beside Trowa.

"Finally coming up for air?" Trowa tipped his head and gave Heero a knowing smirk.

Heero just grunted and changed the subject. "How's your shoulder?"

"Better, now that all the bullet fragments have been dug out." Trowa flexed his arm.

"Is that while you're still here?"

"Unfortunately." Trowa frowned. "Une hasn't given me clearance to join the recovery mission yet. I suppose you'll be heading out soon?"

"As soon as we reach the colony."

"We should be docking within the hour."

"Hm." That gave Heero little time to wrap things up onboard.

"Don't worry," Trowa added, his smile returning. "Plenty of time for one more round."

"One more what?" Heero knit his brows together, slowly realizing what his friend meant. He shot him a sidelong glare.

"I would if I were you," Trowa said with a shrug.

"I appreciate the advice," Heero said with thinly veiled sarcasm.

Trowa's eyes flickered. "I have plenty more where that came from, if you're interested…"

"Thanks," Heero said curtly. "I'm good." Whatever Heero did with Relena was, quite frankly, no one else's business. Heero had tried following Trowa's "advice" when it came to women in the past, but he wouldn't say any of it was especially helpful.

"There is a small favor you could do for me," Heero said instead. "If you don't mind."

"Want me to stay with Relena?" Trowa sounded a little too eager, in Heero's mind.

"No," he said, a bit more sharply than he intended. "I want you to find out about this guy. Paul…" Heero realized he didn't know his last name.

"Ah, yes. Paul." Trowa nodded. "Quatre actually mentioned he'd spoken with him. Couple hours ago. I can find out his exact whereabouts, if you want."

Heero's brows shot up. "Wait… how do you know which Paul-"

"I know Paul," Trowa said simply. "You mean Relena's beau, right? Paul Montgomery."

Something burned inside Heero. How was it both Quatre and Trowa knew this guy that Relena had only just mentioned to him yesterday?

"How?" Heero asked Trowa.

"You mean you don't know?" Trowa's normally stoic face looked surprised. "I figured Relena would have told you, by now. Especially since you've spent hours getting… reacquainted."

Heero's brow furrowed. "She told me about him before. She didn't happen to mention how you all knew each other."

"Ah." Trowa nodded in apparent understanding, only adding to Heero's confusion.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?" Heero asked, trying to hide his mounting irritation. "What's the big secret?"

Trowa held up both hands defensively. "Don't look at me. I think you should ask your wife. Or whatever you're calling her these days."

Heero could have gut-punched Trowa for making such a glib remark, but he needed him to _spill_ his guts. Something that was always difficult to get Trowa to do.

"My _wife_ ," Heero growled, to end the ambiguity once and for all, "is recovering from a serious injury. I haven't exactly been pumping her for information."

"No? But you have been _pumping_ her, right?" Trowa quirked a brow.

Clearly Barton had been spending an inordinate amount of time with Maxwell, but his attempt at humor wasn't landing with Heero; it was only flaring up his temper. "Why don't you cut the shit," Heero growled, "and tell me something useful."

Trowa shrugged, his face betraying nothing. Heero worked to calm the anger building inside him as they walked. He surmised that if Paul had been slated to attend the same conference as Relena, and had been in contact with Quatre, then he must work for ESUN. But if that's all it was, why would Trowa be so cagey?

Something was up. But Heero didn't need to continue to waste his time trying to pry it out of Barton. He knew if he asked Relena, she would tell him everything; she would have to. They had already agreed to a clean slate.

He was counting on her honesty.

"Sorry I can't be of more help on the subject," Trowa said as they neared the end of the corridor. "But perhaps I can assist in some other way."

"How?" Heero asked warily, anticipating another bad joke.

"Why don't you take Heavyarms? I may not be piloting her any time soon. Certainly not today." Trowa motioned to his injured shoulder. "It will make it easier for you to convene with the others."

Heero appreciated the offer. That way, he wouldn't have to enter a volatile situation on foot. He always had better odds inside a Gundam; one reason why, when it came to threat prevention, he preferred to deploy the mobile suits rather than depend on inferior weapons.

He and Trowa headed off in separate directions. Heero had an idea of where all of the passengers' items may have been stowed, either in one of the storage cabins or in the investigation team's evidence room. Heero presumed at least some of the items would have been confiscated as evidence.

It was quiet on the ship as Heero made his way about, but then it was still early in the morning, and just after midnight in Brussels. Ellie would be fast asleep. Heero wished he could speak with her directly, but he had checked in with Une while he was waiting for Relena earlier; the commander had assured him she would send word to the safe house. By now Ellie would have known her mother was rescued, and that gave Heero some small comfort.

He looked forward to resolving the situation on L4 so that he and Relena could hurry home to their daughter...

 _And_ continue working on making a sibling.

Heero smiled to himself as he wandered the near-empty ship, imagining what Ellie's reaction might be. First, he and Relena would have to sit her down and tell her they were back together. Then - maybe mere weeks from now - they might have more news.

Either way, he knew Ella would be ecstatic. She had taken their divorce to heart, which broke Heero inside. Both he and Relena had taken great care to reassure her that none of it was her fault; another reason they worked so hard to maintain a friendly relationship as they continued to co-parent her.

But Ellie was, as Relena regularly pointed out, a sensitive child. So many times, she had cast tear-filled eyes on her father, begging him to move back home. As if he'd had any control over the situation.

Heero _had_ tried, as recently as two years ago, to patch things up with Relena. One December night in particular, they'd had a successful outing as a family to Ellie's debut in her school's rendition of _The Nutcracker._ Heero had picked the girls up at home, in lieu of meeting Relena at the school auditorium, as she had suggested. Instead, Heero insisted that he act as her security for the evening. She had been planning to go without, something he was - as usual - dead set against.

Sitting with Relena in the dark of the theatre instantly evoked old times in Heero's mind. They had exchanged proud smiles as they watched their daughter perform in the ballet. And then Heero had brought them back home, and Relena invited him in for dessert. And, foolishly, he'd thought perhaps "dessert" was a euphemism. Because they'd been getting along so well, better than they had in years. Heero built up the situation in his mind, until he had half-convinced himself Relena might be asking him to come home...

For good.

After Ellie had gone to bed and Relena had uncorked a bottle of wine, he thought that was another tell. When she asked him, eyes full of innocence, if he had been seeing anyone lately, he thought that had to be a thinly-veiled flirtation. He was sure she wanted him to do _something_.

And so he did. He leaned over from his side of the couch, gripped her shoulders and kissed her full on the lips.

Her reaction was not the one he'd hoped for. Relena recoiled and sprang away from him. Her eyes filled with tears, she demanded to know _what was he thinking?!_ And then she'd asked - no, insisted - that he leave.

Later, Heero would gruffly apologize to her for the "incident." He would blame the wine. Relena would brush it off, as if it had never happened.

At that time, Heero hadn't dated, or slept, with anyone else. Two years celibate, and he still burned for Relena. His daily routine rarely deviated from working in the Preventers office and going straight to his apartment afterward, unless he took a far-away assignment. He'd taken too many of those in the past, though. And since the custody agreement had him spending most weekends with Ellie, he tried to relegate his travel to weekdays only, whenever possible.

But after that night, something in Heero cracked. He finally took Trowa up on his offer of grabbing beers after work. And then Heero started spending more and more nights in the bars with his male work colleagues, all of whom were single. Heero was far outside his comfort zone, striking up conversations with random women. And, then, one thing led to another.

The following summer, he met Raquel.

Heero grimaced as he relived one of the more painful parts of the past few years. It was almost as if, those first two years of separation, Heero had been in denial that his life with Relena was really over. And then he'd been hit, hard, by reality. She'd broken him down, all over again. He'd had no choice but to try find a way to erase the pain.

But it hadn't taken him long to learn that there was simply no erasing Relena.

When it came to recollecting her things, he decided to check the evidence room first, and headed to that part of the ship. The 'evidence room,' as he and his fellow Preventers who had designed the ship had dubbed it, was a small room off to the side of the command center on the bridge of the ship.

Heero approached the steel door and entered his access code on a panel. Once inside, his suspicions were confirmed: a series of suitcases, briefcases, handbags and coats littered the small space, covering almost the entire surface of the four tables in the room, which were joined together to form a square. Heero spotted Relena's belongings right away - her black ruffled pea coat and tan leather monogrammed suitcase, and a matching laptop bag and purse with the same logo. He found her phone in a pile of several other mobile devices. The gray case it was stowed in was unremarkable, but Heero knew it because he'd picked it out. He remembered Relena had complained that it wasn't pink.

He chuckled at the memory. She could be a bit spoiled at times, but with her, the train was somehow endearing.

Heero pushed the side button on the phone to ensure it was still working. The screen lit up right away. A photo of Ellie in her ballet clothes appeared on the locked screen. Heero wondered if Relena's phone had been searched, but then he wouldn't expect anyone to be able to crack the code.

He, of course, knew it. He'd been the one to implement it.

And then, without even thinking it through, Heero punched in the sequence he'd created long ago, but still had memorized. A guilty voice in the back of his head scolded him for infiltrating Relena's private property. Although, at one point, it had been his, too. Relena had always let him have unfettered access to everything - her various computers, mobile devices, personal files. There had been no secrets between them.

Well, Heero had kept some Preventer matters… quiet. He'd never outright lied to Relena, as she'd accused him in the past. But some matters he only discussed with her on a need-to-know basis. It was safer that way.

He supposed what he was about to do wasn't really fair, then, but curiosity was killing him.

First he checked her call log. Sure enough, there was a lengthy list of missed calls from Paul Montgomery. And several outgoing calls to Heero. Most of the rest of her call log was a mixture of the two. Many of the numbers that didn't have IDs were ESUN numbers Heero recognized - or the numbers of takeout places Relena frequented. There was nothing shocking or unusual there.

Relena's browser history was clear; Heero could have reversed that but decided against it. Next, with a shaky hand, he selected her text message folder. He shook because he knew spying on her messages, without her permission, was wrong, but a strong part of him needed to know what his wife had been up to… if she was, in fact, hiding something from him.

But her texts didn't reveal anything salacious, either. Even her texts with Paul were vague and cryptic. " _See you soon." "See you tomorrow." "See you after work." "Can you meet earlier?"_

Heero didn't get it, but he was relieved that he didn't come across anything remotely suggestive. Apparently sexting wasn't part of her relationship with Paul. Which was good for Heero, because the very thought made him want to punch someone, or vomit.

He scrolled through the rest of her text messages, and again, nothing stood out. The majority were random messages with her adoptive mother, Mareen, along with Ellie, Noin, Milliardo and work colleagues. There were a few between Quatre and Trowa, but again, nothing remarkable to report. Meet-up details, like the messages with Paul. There were similar texts between Heero and Relena, all relating to Ellie. He wondered if Relena had archived any older messages of his, like he'd saved all of their threads.

For now, he was more interested in her photos. He clicked on her gallery and began to scroll through. Relena had around 2,000 photos in her camera roll, mostly pictures of Ellie. Occasionally there were pictures of recipes, or book spines, probably of books Relena had come across and planned to purchase at some point. Heero didn't bother to analyze the titles.

He wasn't finding what he has looking for: pictures of some guy he didn't recognize.

The only photos that contained Relena were of her with Ellie. A few with her mother. A smattering with Noin. Some random group photos.

Something about this was very odd.

Then Heero located Relena's saved images folder. There were exactly 888 images.

He opened the folder and sucked in a breath.

Heero was in every single one of them.

He scrolled through them, wide-eyed.

Most of the photos were candid. He'd been vaguely aware of all the times she snapped him, except for a few sneaky ones where he was asleep. In most of _those,_ he was shirtless.

His heart began to pound loudly in his ears. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

There were many photos of him and Relena together. To his chagrin, he looked miserable in nearly all of them - even their wedding photos - but then Heero had never been a fan of being photographed. Unfortunately, he'd made that fact known to Relena every single time.

He felt a pang as he flicked through photos of him, Relena and Ellie, all together. Even the reluctant family photos they'd taken at holiday gatherings tugged at Heero's heart.

She'd documented their entire marriage; it was all on her phone. His life - their life - all right there, in the palm of her hand.

A torrent of emotions ran over Heero. He didn't know how to process this.

But now, all of a sudden, he wanted to see some of those book titles Relena had saved.

Zooming in revealed more revelations.

 _Conscious Uncoupling. When the Vow Breaks. Life After Divorce. Splitting Survival. The Spiritual Guide to Divorce. Co-Parenting 101._

Relena also had pictures of several self-help, yoga and other health-related books. Everything Heero came across was in line with the meticulous, intentional Relena he knew. Nothing he found on her phone was, after all, surprising.

Other than the fact that his image still lived on it, and not the image of the man she'd been dating for a year.

Heero couldn't understand it. Things just weren't adding up.

He knew he was going to have to broach the subject to Relena. But first he'd have to confess to raiding her phone. How would he tell her? What would she say?

But, most importantly… what did it all mean?

* * *

 _A/N: Nosy Heero! What do you guys think? Did he go too far? Do you think Relena will even care? What do you think is really going on with her and Paul, anyway?_

 _Also, my apologies for turning Trowa into kind of a perv. My justification for this is a) I've seen him depicted as a flirt in other fics and for some reason it works and b) Kirby Morrow had to go and play Miroku, who is a notorious ladies man, and sometimes his voice is just in my head as I write. Sorry not sorry! ;)_

 _\- RFP_


	27. The Naked Truth

Relena was restless.

There was nothing to do in her designated room, and so she just had to wait for Heero to return. She looked forward to having her phone and laptop back; at the very least, she could get up to speed with the situation on L4, and touch base with her colleagues.

She was stuck on bedrest, but there were several matters she needed to attend to: looking for Paul. Checking on her assistant, Jules, and her other fellow shuttle passengers. Locating and informing the family of the shuttle pilot, Graham, who'd died helping her. Interrogating Alicia and the other crew members on their involvement in the hijacking. Finally, finding Aldous Lucifer, and bringing him to justice.

Of course, Relena knew she couldn't handle all of these things on her own. The Preventers who were outside of her special task force would have to be brought into the fold.

Including Heero.

There was so much she still had to tell him. The thought made her anxious, but she knew he deserved to know the truth. She only hoped he would take it well, and it wouldn't take away from their reconciliation.

They had made it through worse, she thought.

But Relena continued to lie in bed, wrestling with her thoughts. She had dressed once again in the thin gown she'd been given, which was good because Sally had come back to check on her, then sent a nurse with juice and oatmeal. Relena was grateful to finally be able to eat something; it had been over twenty-four hours since she'd had anything of substance.

After her breakfast, she was again faced with nothing to do. And so she breathed a sigh of relief when the door to her room opened. She hoped it was Heero, back with her things.

But Trowa was the one to step into her room, and that wasn't a disappointment.

"Trowa!" Relena called over to him happily. She was relieved that he had survived the attack on his own shuttle. Of course, she had already heard that he made it out alive, but it was the first she had seen him since.

He smiled at her and strode across the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. They shared a brief embrace, Relena pulling back when she felt Trowa's hands rest on the bare skin of her back. She'd forgotten her stupid gown was wide open in the back.

She broke away and sat back against her pillows, her face flaming. Trowa's lips twitched and she half-expected him to make a joke, but thankfully he kept his thoughts to himself.

"How are you feeling?" he asked instead.

"Much better. How about you?"

"Likewise. Always nice to get put back together again." He gave her an easy smile. "I came to let you know that I spoke with Quatre. Paul reached out to him earlier. They're both on L4, still."

Relena breathed another deep sigh of relief. "Thank God. Heero went to retrieve my phone, so once I have it I'll be sure to touch base."

"Good plan." Trowa bobbed his head in agreement.

"Thank you for telling me." Relena finally allowed herself to smile fully.

"I'd been meaning to come check on you anyway, once I was given the all-clear, but I didn't want to disturb you and Heero."

"Ah…" Relena's flush deepened. "So, you knew he was… with me all this time?"

"Everyone knows." Trowa gave a careless shrug. "Not like it's surprising to anyone. We all figured something like this would happen." He chuckled. "Duo and I have had a pool going for a while…"

Relena rolled her eyes. "Oh, is that so…"

"Duo's already lost because he thought your separation would last a year, max. I predicted you'd be back together within five years." Trowa's green eyes glinted. "Looks like Maxwell owes me two-hundred bucks."

"Wow." Relena didn't know whether to be annoyed at their friends' betting on her relationship, or touched that they were so invested. "So you all counted on us getting back together?"

"Pretty much. Like I said; it's not surprising. You and Heero just… are."

His words, though vague, somehow made perfect sense to Relena. "Thank you."

"Speaking of you and Heero…" Trowa continued, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Have you told him about Paul?"

"I did." Relena took in a shaky breath. "A little."

"What have you told him, so far?"

"The truth," said Relena. "Most of it." Trowa was looking at her expectantly, so she sighed and continued. "I told him I've been seeing Paul for around a year. And that he recently asked me to marry him."

Trowa arched a brow. "But you didn't tell him why?"

"I thought that was enough, at the time," Relena said, growing defensive. "That was before any of… _this_ happened."

"Okay…" Trowa said slowly, as if piecing it all together. "So you haven't told him anything about the investigation?"

Relena winced. "I started to…" And she did. On the phone and in his Gundam, earlier.

"But you haven't told him about the task force, or any of our involvement?"

Relena lowered her eyes to the her lap.

"Then I'm guessing you haven't told him that he rescued you from the very group you've been investigating."

"More like henchmen for the group," Relena snapped, raising her head. "I was planning to tell him, Trowa. I have to, now that the rest of Preventer is involved."

Trowa nodded slowly, his lips pursed. "I was afraid of that. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep this under wraps for much longer. But I didn't expect it all to come to a head like this."

"I still can't believe they were behind the bombings as well." Relena grimaced. "I never thought they'd pull such a stunt, and risk drawing so much attention to themselves."

"The media is still reporting it as a terror attack," said Trowa. "So they've managed to find a convincing scapegoat. Not to mention, the crew that attacked me is still at large. We still don't know if they were traitors, or simply hired hands in disguise. Much like the crew on your shuttle."

"Right." Relena sighed. "I know at least one of them was an actual ESUN employee who was… pressed into service. But he was killed." Her eyes filled as the image of Graham's face, pale in death, came back to her.

She needed to avenge him. But it was clear from the questions that continued to pile up that this was going to be a lengthy investigation.

Trowa was quiet for a moment as he seemed to be lacing his thoughts together. "The trick," he said after a while, "will be in bringing all this to light. I'm not sure how much we should reveal, even once this case is resolved."

"Will it ever be resolved?" Relena shifted on the bed, frowning. "Or will we just keep going deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, only to come up empty?" She leaned forward, impassioned. "Aldous could keep hiding forever; moving, changing identities. His network is enormous. How will we ever recover the thousands of women and children he's sold into slavery?" Tears burned her eyes. "How?"

"One at a time," Trowa said gently, taking her hands in his. "Case by case. Like Paul's been doing for years."

Relena nodded, allowing a few tears to slip down her cheeks. "If I don't marry Paul," she whispered, "he's not going to be able to adopt those little girls he rescued." There was a strict policy from the middle eastern territory where Paul had recovered two young sisters, aged four and six, who had been sold into slavery. In order to adopt them, Paul would have to be able to prove he was married.

That was when he'd approached Relena.

She had considered his offer. Paul was kind and caring, and passionate about saving lives. He and Relena got along well, cared about the same causes, and for one another. But there was, simply, no romantic spark between them. They worked long hours together and often shared meals, but they had never spent the night together. Relena wouldn't have, even if she'd felt _that_ way about him, because of Ellie.

But Relena had entertained accepting his proposal, mainly to help him out. She could also envision a future in which she and Paul traveled the world, embarking on life-saving missions together.

"He'll just have to find someone else to marry, then," Trowa said nonchalantly. "I'm sure that won't be a problem for him. He just happens to like you."

"I know," Relena said quietly. "I still feel bad about, it though…"

"Don't, Relena," Trowa said more firmly. "You have nothing to feel guilty about." He gave her hands a squeeze before releasing them. "I'm sure Heero will be relieved to learn you weren't sleeping with the guy. He asked me about him earlier, by the way."

"He did?" Relena's heart pounded. "What did he say?"

"He just asked me if I knew anything about Paul. I told him that I did, and that I'd confirmed his safety with Quatre. Which launched a series of other questions."

"Oh," Relena breathed. "So... Heero knows, then?"

"I didn't tell him anything further. I said he should ask you." Trowa arched a single brow. "Should I have said otherwise?"

"No," Relena said softly. "You did the right thing." They shared a smile, and Relena decided to ask her friend for a small favor. "Would you mind doing something else for me?"

"Want me to dump Paul for you?" He smirked.

"No." Relena reached over and tugged on his sleeve. "Find me some spare clothes? Surely there must be some Preventers gear lying around in my size, somewhere? Heero's off looking for my things, but in case that should take him a while…"

Trowa gestured toward her hospital gown. "Why, would you prefer something a little less... see-through?"

"See-through?" Relena frowned and glanced down before gasping and pulling her blanket up over her chest. The gown wasn't completely transparent, but it was chilly in the room, and the thin fabric made that readily apparent. "Trowa!" she scolded him, her cheeks burning. He laughed.

"Sorry. Just trying to help you out. I'll go see what I can find." He rose to leave.

"Thank you," Relena said, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt. "I meant to ask Sally earlier."

"And if I see that husband of yours, I'll tell him to hurry up." Trowa's eyes glimmered. "We'll be docking shortly."

Relena smiled and nodded, but inside she was fretting again. Heero would be leaving for the colony soon to join the others, and there was no telling how long he'd be gone.

There wasn't much time.

* * *

Heero brought Relena's things with him into the men's locker room near the bridge. He'd been wearing the same clothes for over a day now and even though he'd showered before bed, he was starting to feel grimey. Besides that, he typically wore a Preventers uniform while working.

He found his personal locker, entered the combination, and pulled out one of his spare uniforms: an army-green jacket with the Preventers insignia and matching cargo pants, along with a simple black button-down shirt, undershirt, and a fresh pair of boxers and socks. The finishing touch was pair of heavy black combat boots. Heero undressed quickly and stashed his other clothes into a laundry bag to wash later.

He was reaching for his boxers when he heard the locker room door open, and a pair of light footsteps followed. He didn't bother turning around as he pulled on his boxers and bent to pick up his pants.

"Heero."

His head automatically turned at the sound of his name, although he instantly recognized the voice saying it. But it was too late to turn back around.

Raquel stood to the side of the bench in the center of the locker room, where he'd laid out his things, a coy smile on her face as her eyes swept over his half-dressed form. If she noticed Relena's things piled up on the bench next to Heero, she didn't comment, her eyes glued to his torso.

Heero's face collapsed into a scowl. He turned his back to her and pulled on his pants. "What are you doing here?"

"What else?" He heard her take a few steps toward him. "I came to see you. We haven't had a chance to catch up yet." Before Heero could respond, he felt Raquel's arms encircle his middle. He froze for a beat before recovering. Then he turned around and forcibly pried her arms off of him.

Her eyes registered her shock.

"What are you-" she started.

"This thing," Heero said stiffly, "is over between us. I'm back with Relena. I thought maybe you knew that."

He watched as several expressions passed over Raquel's face before it settled on anger. "You didn't tell me-"

"I'm telling you now."

The brunette balled her hands into fists, taking a combative stance. "But why?!"

"Why?" Heero was surprised she even had to ask, given what Raquel knew of his situation. She had seemed to understand why he never wanted to be in an actual relationship.

Heero should have known better than to take her at face value.

" _Relena's like a planet,"_ Raquel had observed once. " _You keep getting sucked into her gravitational pull."_

" _That's ridiculous," Heero scoffed in return._ _Raquel's words made him sound, and feel, weak. He was doing his best to move on quietly, while keeping the peace with Relena. It wasn't easy; he missed her terribly. But no one could know._

" _She calls, and you jump to answer her," Raquel said, pointing to Heero's phone. "You can't let go, can you?"_

 _Heero's eyes burned. "My family is my top priority," he said, dodging the actual question. "If Relena needs me-"_

" _I understand that," Raquel said more softly. "But you don't have to succumb to her every whim." Her eyes narrowed. "What does she want at this hour, anyway?"_

" _Ellie has a fever," Heero answered with a frown. Not that he owed Raquel an explanation, but he plowed ahead, anyway. "Relena couldn't remember where we kept the thermometer. Ellie hasn't been sick in years." His features relaxed into a smile. "Apparently she has my immune system."_

 _Raquel sighed and settled back against her pillows. "Well, that's good, but-"_

" _I should go over there." Heero rose abruptly and reached for his pile of clothes on the floor. He knew Relena could handle a simple fever, but still… it gave him an excuse to see her and their daughter. Not to mention, it also gave him a bona fide reason to avoid spending the night with Raquel..._

" _Now?!" Raquel sat up as Heero flicked on the bedside lamp, gaping at him incredulously. "I'm sure Ellie is fine-"_

" _I won't know till I get there," Heero said calmly, pulling on his jeans. He glanced at Raquel over his shoulder, and felt a twinge of guilt over her disappointed expression. He hated when she looked at him liked that; it reminded him too much of Relena. Their eyes connected briefly before Heero looked away. "Thanks for the, uh…" He let his words trail off as he turned back around. This part was always awkward._

 _Raquel clucked her tongue. "I still think you're going overboard, Heero," she said from behind him. "You shouldn't be at Relena's beck and call. Otherwise she'll always have that power over you."_

 _Heero's shoulders sagged briefly. He quickly straightened them as he buttoned up his shirt. "It's complicated," he muttered. "If you'd ever been married, you'd understand."_

" _I may not have been married yet," Raquel said, "but I've been in love. I know what it's like to get in so deep, you let the other person control you and your emotions." Heero heard her sigh deeply. "But at some point, after someone cuts you off, you have to move on. You have no choice," she added firmly. "They're not giving you one."_

 _He heard her rustling in the bed before she came to stand behind them. Heero stayed still as her arms encircled him. "Go," she said softly. "Do what you have to do... Just know that you have someone, right here, who cares about you." She gave him a squeeze. "You deserve to be happy, Heero."_

 _He didn't know how to tell her he could never be "happy." Not the way other people were. He had come close to that, long ago._

" _I'm happy enough," he said instead._

In Heero's mind, his happiest days were behind him. But maybe not any more. Starting anew with Relena gave him another chance to live the life of his dreams.

But he couldn't do that until he'd eliminated the obstacle before him. Unfortunately, that involved hurting someone who had cared for him. It was a brutal but necessary task. Heero didn't think he should have to explain himself, but Raquel was still standing there, waiting for an answer.

"Because she's my wife," Heero said, facing Raquel. "Because we have a child together. And I love her." If those reasons weren't logical enough, he would have to start questioning Raquel's mental state.

Her eyes hardened.

"She's not your wife," she snapped. "She's a heartless bitch who divorced you."

Heero's eyes widened at the insult. If Raquel hadn't been a woman, he might have struck her. It was hard to push his mounting anger down, but he managed to remain calm as he buttoned up his shirt.

"How about showing a little respect," he suggested in a flat voice. Raquel scoffed and turned her face to the side. Tears were beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"It's just not fair," she said in a choked voice, reaching up to dab at her eyes with her sleeve. "You're leaving someone who loves you and would do _anything_ for you, for someone who doesn't even give a shit about you."

Heero wasn't about to dignify her accusation with a response. He knew what Relena felt for him. That was between them.

Raquel began to sob out loud, wrapping her arms around herself. She sunk down onto the bench and placed her head in her hands as her cries grew louder.

Heero ignored her and finished dressing. Having never been in such a situation, he wasn't sure how to end it. He wondered if he should at least offer some sort of apology. He remember Sally's advice to let Raquel down gently. Before he could decide what to do, he heard someone else entering the locker room.

Trowa rounded the corner, wearing a pair of sweats and carrying a towel. His eyes grew larger as he took in the scene. He cast an alarmed glance at Heero. The two exchanged looks but otherwise said nothing. Finally, Trowa gave a shrug and dropped his items on the bench.

And proceeded to doff his clothes.

Heero blanched. "Barton, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Trowa, stark naked, replied casually. "Taking a shower."

Raquel chose the wrong moment to look up, but the shock of seeing a nude Trowa seemed to stun her out of crying. Her face immediately colored.

"Trowa!" she gasped, thrusting his towel at him. "Cover up, will you?!"

"You are in the men's locker room, Raquel," he said calmly. "You can either leave or stay and enjoy the view. Up to you."

Trowa turned on his heel and, with a whistle, walked into the nearest shower stall. He tossed the towel behind him, and it landed on the bench next to Raquel. She instantly recoiled and leapt to her feet. She gaped up at Heero, who was still puzzling over the situation. Heero opened his mouth to say something when Trowa spoke over the shower stream.

"Raquel, since you're still here, I'm looking for a woman's perspective," he called. "What size do you think Relena is? She was looking for some clothes…"

Raquel's face went another shade redder. She shot an angry glare to Heero but didn't say anything.

"I mean, ballpark, what would you say her bra size is? Maybe a '34C'?" Trowa continued unabashedly. "Oh, I know, her husband's right here. So, Heero, which is it?"

Raquel's mouth dropped open. Heero was at once irritated and appreciative of Trowa's intrusion as Raquel spun on her heel and darted out of the locker room.

The slam of the door reverberated in the small, concrete space.

Heero shook his head in bewilderment before sitting down on the bench and lacing up his boots.

"The hell was _that_?"

Trowa chuckled from the shower stall. "You're welcome."

"Huh?"

"I made your side chick disappear." So his disruption _had_ been intentional.

"She's not my side chick," Heero glowered. "And anyway, I was ending… things."

"Yeah, I heard that," Trowa replied. "No use in her sitting around in here crying all day, though."

"Hm." Heero grunted his response. He was just relieved to have the situation over and done with. He didn't feel good about making a woman cry, although Raquel's petty remarks about Relena had dulled any sympathy he might have had.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Heero heard the water in the shower turn off, and Trowa poked his head out of the stall. "Are you ready for Heavyarms?"

Heero's lips curved upward. "Roger."

"I figured." Trowa flashed a smile. Then he pointed to the bench. "Uh, Heero. Mind handing me that towel?"

Heero folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. "You should've thought of that before you threw it."

"That was for dramatic effect." Trowa smirked. Heero rolled his eyes and picked up the towel.

* * *

When Heero returned to Relena's room, he found her sitting up in bed, wearing a similar sweatsuit as Trowa's. He set down her bags before striding over to the bed and sitting down beside her.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"Sally brought it for me." Relena fingered the thick gray fabric of her shirt. "It's not my usual style, but you were taking a little while to get back to me." She tipped her head and smiled at him, as if that didn't bother her in the slightest.

She looked beautiful, even in sweats, without a stitch of makeup, her long hair piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun. Heero felt a pang of guilt for taking so long to get back to her. He hated that his time with Relena had been interrupted by outside forces. He wanted to soak up the time they still had together.

"Sorry about that." Heero reached over and brushed a loose strand of her hair from her cheek. "I had a few things to take care of." He knew he needed to explain, but where to start?

Relena's eyes fell on her belongings. "I see you found my things." Heero nodded. "Thank you." She leaned over and brushed a kiss to his lips before sliding off the bed and padding over to where he'd set her suitcase. She unzipped it and started pulling out articles of clothing. Heero watched as she removed the sweats and began to dress in her usual work attire, starting with a silken white blouse and adding a full gray skirt with a wrap-style belt. He watched her dress in mesmerized silence before finding his voice.

"Changing again?"

"I'd like to feel more myself," Relena said softly from her side of the room. She finished fastening her belt and stepped into a pair of matching gray heels. As a final touch, she reached up and loosened her bun, sending her long hair tumbling around her shoulders in golden waves. She turned to look at Heero, giving a little spin. He smiled his approval, and she smiled back.

"You look beautiful," he said from the bed. "But then, you always do."

"Oh, Heero." Relena waved a hand and rolled her eyes playfully. "You have to say that because we were married."

Heero didn't like the "were," but then he planned on doing something about that. Soon.

"Oh!" Relena turned back around and reached for her purse, where Heero had placed her phone in one of the outside pockets. "You found my phone, too!" She picked it up and immediately started scrolling.

"Yeah, so you can call Paul now," Heero said warily. He still needed to know what was up with that situation. Something didn't sit right with him. But he could always ask Relena more about that later.

First, he had some other things to say.

"Relena…" he started. She glanced up from her phone.

"Yes?"

"There's… something I need to tell you." Heero broke eye contact with her briefly and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure why he felt so apprehensive just then. They had agreed to a clean slate.

It was time to come clean.

He returned his gaze to Relena to see she was staring at him, holding her phone down at her side.

"I have something to tell you, too," she whispered, watching him carefully. She took a step toward the bed. "A lot of things, actually…"

Heero waited for Relena to join him back on the bed, but she remained still. After a moment he rose and walked over to her. Before either of them said anything else, he gathered her into his arms, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Relena's arms came up to rest on his shoulders.

"Okay," he murmured into her hair. "Let's talk."

* * *

 _A/N: Slightly pervy Trowa to the rescue! Most of you seem to have given me your blessing when it comes to my more-outgoing-than-usual depiction of the typically stoic pilot. He_ may _have taken things a tad too far here... Maybe. Oh well, I had fun with it! Hope you enjoyed it! Just when I was thinking Trowa was really fun in the scene with Relena, he went and kicked it up a notch! I swear, he just strode into that locker room and decided to get naked. I don't control these characters; I am merely the vessel ;) Seriously, that was one of my favorite scenes to write. It was just so... satisfying. But I'm not done with Raquel yet!_

 _Now you all know I love me some 3xR, and I love to hint at it and toy with it in a lot of my stories, but I'm really enjoying giving Trowa and Relena more of a brother-sister relationship here... even if there is a healthy dose of teasing and some thinly-veiled flirting. It's all innocent, promise! I'll save the love triangle for something else. Like, oh, I don't know, a little something I like to call_ Red Moon Rise _? It's coming... soon! It's almost the one-year anniversary of when I started posting_ Red Moon Glow _, and I'm a sucker for symmetry..._

 _Speaking of_ RMG _, this story has officially surpassed that one in reviews! AHHHHH! I feel the urge to throw the confetti once more! Seriously?! That story was a milestone for me... the most reviews I have ever received on one story, and we already shot past that. OMG... I can't. You guys are the best. Thank you so much for sticking with me and making me feel like I can write stuff!_

 _Hugs!_

 _\- RFP_

 _P.S. Has everyone gotten their copy of_ Glory of the Losers _? What do we think?!_


	28. Workplace Hazards

Heero guided Heavyarms toward the L4 colony cluster, trying to slow his racing thoughts. He still had a lot to process, but he needed to focus on the mission at hand.

He had checked in with Une again and made a plan to rendezvous with the others. For the most part, the four other Preventers on the scene appeared to have things under control. They had all been working with local law enforcement agencies to analyze any found evidence and had even rounded up a few suspects for questioning.

Based on what Relena had told Heero, though, the suspects may have only been patsies, or no one of any significance to the actual case.

 _Relena._ Invariably his thoughts went right back to her. He had left her on the Aventinus with a long, lingering kiss, and a promise to call her as soon as he could. As he'd predicted, she had been upset that he wasn't taking her with him; she'd wanted to visit the colony herself, meet with victims of the bombings, and make a speech to reassure people. Heero argued that people would have more reassurance knowing she was safe, and she had reluctantly agreed. He promised her he would bring her back to the colony himself, once he'd secured the situation.

That was not the least of their disagreements before Heero left on his mission. At first, Heero had been furious to find out Relena had been keeping so many things from him. Especially matters that related to her personal safety. Some of her subterfuge he understood, since they were no longer a married couple when she became more embedded in her investigation. What angered Heero more was that she had started investigating the trafficking ring five years ago, while they were still married.

" _Why didn't you tell me?" Heero bellowed at her, unable to keep the hurt from his expression. "I was your husband."_

" _True," Relena spoke more calmly. "But we weren't exactly communicating much in our last year of marriage."_

That _was_ true, and Heero knew a lot of that was his fault. But then he'd never been great at communicating in general. Maybe if he'd been better, he thought, they might have be able to avoid getting divorced in the first place.

" _Not to mention," Relena added, "if you knew, you would have hampered the investigation."_

" _You're damn right, I would have," Heero seethed._ " _You shouldn't have gotten involved in something so dangerous; you could've been killed! What about Ellie? Don't you want to stick around for her sake? For mine?"_

That had not gone over well. Relena threw his words right back at him.

" _What about all the times you left us at home to go on dangerous missions?! It's only acceptable when_ you _do it?!"_

" _Yes," Heero growled. "Because I've been trained to handle certain scenarios. Every job I take involves a calculated risk, but I know what I'm doing. I'm not going off to die."_

" _Neither am I," Relena said softly, once her temper had cooled._ " _And I do know what I'm doing. I may lack certain skills, but that's why I put a team together. I know I should have asked you, and I'm sorry about that; but I was worried if you got involved, you would have tried to forbid_ my _involvement. It would have been one more thing we would have fought about."_

Heero had gone quiet, taking everything in. He decided then and there that he didn't care if they argued from then on; they could argue about any and everything, and he would love her all the same. He would rather fight with Relena than keep anything from her, or find out she was keeping things from him.

They needed to stop hiding from one another.

" _This is something I have to do," she added, and her conviction was admirable. "I'm trying to make the world a safer places for little girls like Ellie."_

 _Her words stirred Heero. He knelt before her and took both her hands in his._

" _Then let me help you."_

His hurt and anger toward her had all but evaporated. As truths came to light, he only grew angrier with himself.

Again, he wished he had been there for her. He was only grateful she was giving him a chance to redeem himself, now. He felt especially guilty when she explained that her relationship with Paul was more of a professional one that anything else, even if it sounded like the guy had developed strong feelings for her. Heero was relieved to know she not only didn't return Paul's affections, but had a noble reason for considering his marriage proposal. The truth was not what Heero had expected.

However, it only made him feel guiltier about the things he had done while they were apart.

Relena hadn't been that upset, at first. She had listened calmly as he told her about Raquel, although he'd omitted the name, and even about the string of women he'd been with before her. Relena exemplified patience, understanding, and forgiveness in that moment, as Heero explained how he had foolishly tried to replicate what he'd had with her, but always came up short. He thought, perhaps, that would help ease the sting of what felt like betrayal.

It was only when Relena realized that the "other woman" was onboard the very same ship that she lost it. Heero had told her he had ended things, and Relena had assumed he'd called the woman; but revealing he'd done it in person was a dead giveaway.

" _She's a_ Preventer _?! She's_ here _?! I'm going to have to_ see _her?!"_

Heero had worked to calm Relena down, assuring her that their paths didn't have to cross. Perhaps Heero could ask Trowa, or Sally, to run interference and make sure Relena wouldn't have to interact with Raquel at all while he was away. But Relena pointed out that that was probably impossible.

The Aventinus was a big ship, but Relena indicated it may not have been big enough for the two of them.

Heero tried not to let the thought bother him as he piloted Heavyarms. He knew Relena could handle herself in the tensest of situations, although he hated to put her in an awkward position. Just in case, he'd had a quick word with Trowa before taking off in his Gundam. The other man predicted a "cat fight." Heero made him promise he wouldn't let that happen.

But Heero refused to dwell on the situation with Raquel any further. It was over; he'd seen to it. Now, he just needed to finish cleaning up the mess on L4 so he and Relena could go home to Ellie, and they could all be a family again.

The Gundam's center console lit up with an incoming call. Thankfully it was from another Gundam.

Duo's upbeat face appeared on the screen.

"Heya, Zero-Three! You look... different. You used to be so much better-looking!" Duo chortled.

"Funny," Heero quipped.

"Come on, you know I'm just kidding around. How's it hanging?"

"Fine. I'll be landing shortly. The Aventinus is docking at the nearest port."

"Well, we're ready and waitin' for ya. I gotta say, though, things are a little quiet around here now." Duo's voice dropped. "Maybe even too quiet..."

"Hm." Heero wondered what Duo could mean by that. But he also knew not everything was as it appeared. "I've had some new intel come to light recently. I'll fill you all in when I get there."

"Yeah?" Duo perked up. "From where?"

"Relena."

"Nice!" Duo broke into a grin. "And where is the pretty lady?"

"Back on the ship."

"Bummer. I'm sure her presence would've livened up the joint."

"I didn't want to risk her getting hurt again," Heero said warily. "She's been through enough."

"Yeah, I know," Duo sighed. "But people are antsy. I'm sure seeing Relena would do them a world of good."

"And I'm sure she'll make some kind of speech when the time comes," Heero said more forcefully. "I'm not bringing her there now. Not until I get a better handle on things."

"All right, grumpy pants, calm down," Duo said with an eye roll. "Sheesh! You'd think I suggested we feed her to cannibals or something! Anyway, I'm ready to take a much-needed lunch break, so I'll see you when you get here. Over and out, buddy boy."

Duo's usual chipper tone had diminished, and Heero was filled with a sense of impending dread.

* * *

Relena needed to blow off steam. Badly.

She knew she was supposed to stay in bed, but after Heero left, she found she couldn't stay still. And so she had taken to wandering the Aventinus, not knowing who or what she was looking for. Heero had given her little information about the agent he'd been sleeping with - who sounded like a bona fide stalker, at this point - and the whole thing had set Relena on edge. She'd pried for at least a first name, but Heero wouldn't budge. Even after she'd pointed out that he knew the name of _her_ boyfriend, he had said it didn't matter since neither of them were in "real" relationships.

Heero argued that he didn't want Relena knowing and getting more upset. The important thing was that they had been honest with each other about things they had done while separated; there was no need, in his mind, to go into detail.

Relena had agreed at the time. But she was a detail-oriented person, and there was more that she needed to know. Even if knowing would drive her crazy.

She figured if she wandered around long enough, she would probably run into this woman, and she would know the second their eyes met exactly who she was. _She_ was hiding around here, somewhere.

Relena was not one to shrink from confrontation. She also wasn't looking to start a fight. Not necessarily.

Only if provoked.

She stormed into the ship's gymnasium and spotted a group of agents milling about, mostly male. Trowa was one of them. Several other agents of both genders were fanned about the room, using various fitness machines. The group surrounding Trowa shrunk back as she strode right up to him.

He quirked a brow in her direction before his face went back to its usual mask.

"Trowa," she greeted him breathlessly, ignoring everyone else. She wasn't in the mood to make meaningless small talk.

"Relena." His face faltered. "You should be in bed." Relena waved a hand dismissively.

"I feel fine, honest." Many of her senses were numbed from her most recent dose of painkillers. But just like last night, she felt anxious and jumpy. "I'm going to go stir crazy if I stay in that room any longer," she explained.

"All right," Trowa said evenly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes." She smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, you can." Without further preamble, she reached for his arm and dragged him from the group.

"What's this about?" Trowa asked as he traipsed behind her.

Relena led him over to another corner of the gym where a line of punching bags were suspended.

"I need a workout buddy," she said. Trowa stood gaping at her as she peeled off the sweatshirt she'd changed back into, revealing a hot pink sports bra. Her abdomen was bare, aside from her bandages. Relena could feel several pairs of eyes on her, but she didn't care. Then she shed her sweatpants, revealing a pair of fitted black shorts. She placed her hands at her hips and looked up at Trowa expectantly. "Well, can you help me or not?"

Trowa's eyes widened before his features relaxed. "Depends on the kind of workout you want to do. If it's what I think it is, then I'm very flattered, but I don't want Heero to kill me."

Relena rolled her eyes and took hold of the nearest punching bag. "Will you just hold this for me, please?"

"You really think this is a good idea?" Trowa didn't move from his spot. "You're injured."

"So are you," Relena retorted. "And _you're_ in here."

"I'm a Gundam pilot," Trowa said flatly. "I've been trained to continue fighting even after sustaining serious injuries. I can't say the same for Foreign Ministers."

Relena's eyes burned. "If I don't do _something_ , I'm going to lose my mind. I can't stay holed up in that room another minute, or I'm going to snap."

Trowa seemed to be watching her carefully. "Heero told you, didn't he?'

Relena didn't answer as she began assaulting the punching bag with her fists and feet, ignoring the pull at her abdomen. She would stop, if necessary, but in that moment, she wanted - needed - to keep going.

"I'd recommend you wear wrist guards for that," Trowa said calmly. "That's going to hurt later."

"I don't care," Relena glowered, continuing her assault. She landed a mighty kick on the bag, sending it careening to the side. Trowa reached over and steadied it for her. Relena caught his eye and nodded her thanks before resuming her fighting stance and starting all over again.

"Sally's not going to be very happy with me," Trowa said.

"Sally," Relena said through gritted teeth, "would understand."

"I don't understand why you're so upset."

Relena paused to glare at him before leveling more kicks and punches on the bag. "Apparently you think you _know_ what upset me so much."

"I do."

Relena abandoned the punching bag briefly, spinning around to face Trowa. "You knew?! How long?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "A while."

His words were like an icicle to her heart. "You knew," she whispered in disbelief, "and you didn't tell me?" She fought back the tears that threatened to well up. "Trowa…" She reached up and scrubbed at the moisture with the back of her hand. "I thought we were close? Why would you keep something like this from me?"

Trowa lowered his eyes. "I didn't tell Heero about Paul, either," he said quietly. "I didn't think it was my place. I'm sorry," he added, slowly raising his eyes back to her.

Relena took in a shaky breath. "That was different, though. Didn't you think I should know that Heero was sleeping around? You knew _I_ wasn't."

"I didn't know that," Trowa said, frowning. "I knew you weren't sleeping with _Paul_. That didn't mean you weren't sleeping with _any_ one…"

"Oh, please." Relena rolled her eyes. "You know me well enough to know better."

"So I definitely missed my shot then, huh?" Trowa deadpanned. Relena glowered at him.

"That's not funny."

"Right, well. Forgive me," Trowa said, not sounding nearly sorry enough. "But I think you may be overreacting."

Relena tightened her eyes at him. "Overreacting?!" she seethed. "Remind me how long _you've_ been married, Trowa?"

She saw him blanch, but he reached over and repositioned the punching bag. "Touché," he said simply.

Relena went back to attacking the punching bag until she had nothing left. After several minutes of aggressive punching and kicking, she dropped her hands to her knees, her chest heaving, her whole body slicked with sweat. Her abdomen was crying out in protest, the pain radiating throughout her core.

"Had enough?" Trowa asked. Relena lifted her head to see him smiling down at her. "I think you did pretty well. I'm impressed, actually."

"Thanks." It was worth the pain, Relena decided. Trowa disappeared to another part of the room and came back a moment later with a towel and bottled water. Relena thanked him again and took a long sip.

"You look like you could use a drink," said Trowa. "A _real_ drink."

"I could..." Relena said, wiping her face with the towel. "But…" She dropped her eyes to her stomach. "We're trying to get pregnant."

Trowa startled her as he threw his head back and laughed.

"Why is that so funny?!" Relena demanded.

"So that's what you two have been up to?" Trowa sputtered between laughs. "I mean, I figured it was sex, but-"

A sudden _clang_ of metal resounded from a nearby corner as a set of weights crashed to the floor. Relena jerked her head up to see a petite brunette bending to pick up the weights. The girl raised her head, and their eyes locked.

The younger woman's expression was mostly unreadable, but her gaze was far from friendly.

"Shit," said Trowa.

Before Relena could respond, the girl tore her gaze away and bolted from the room, leaving the weights scattered on the floor. Relena's heart raced as she watched the retreating figure.

Beside her, Trowa cleared his throat. Relena reached out and gripped his arm.

"Trowa," she gasped. "That was her, wasn't it?"

He didn't seem to hear her. "How about we grab that drink? You can get a virgin cocktail, if you want…"

Relena leveled him with a hard stare. Then she stooped to pick up her belongings and strode out of the gym. She heard Trowa following close behind.

Relena wanted to take off in a run, although she knew it wouldn't be wise. What did she stand to gain from confronting this woman? Surely an encounter with her would do more harm than good.

But the next person she ran into, as she exited the gym, was Sally. In fact, Relena had to stop short to avoid plowing right into her.

"Hey!" Sally gave Relena a sharp look. "Last I checked, your twenty-four hours aren't up, missy."

Relena was too wired to be chastised. "Sorry," she said flippantly. Sally gave a labored sigh.

"Looks like your meds are working. And while it's good to see you're up and about, I wouldn't advise you go full 'Rocky' just yet." She looked pointedly at Relena's bandages. "We don't want you tearing a stitch. Everything's holding up so far?"

"Uh-huh," Relena said as patiently as she could. She looked past Sally's shoulder to see if she could still spot the other woman, but she was long gone.

"Looking for something?" Sally asked, quirking a brow. "Or someone?"

"We're looking for something to do," Trowa said, coming to a stop just behind Relena. She turned and glared at him. She had planned on asking Sally about the younger Preventer, but evidently Trowa was trying to divert her.

"Good," said Sally, giving them each a smile. "Then you can come with me. I may have a job for you."

Relena and Trowa exchanged curious looks and followed after Sally.

* * *

 _A/N: *cough* Team Trowa! *cough* Trowa is one character I never say "get off my ship" to; helllll no. I say get the crap on board, buddy! ;) ANYWAY. You guys are egging me on and I love it!_

 _Thank you to all you lovelies for your continual support! Only two more weeks till Weddingmageddon, as I am coming to call it... And boy, am I feeling it! I'm ready for a lonnnnng nap. But I'll try to get at least one more update out before I disappear for a few weeks!_

 _Hugs!_

 _\- RFP_


	29. Too Much Drama

Heero arrived in the colony's city center to find it all but abandoned.

He made no effort to conceal Heavyarms or dock it in some hidden locale, after the others had informed him that they'd all left their Gundams out in the open, near the site of the bombings. As Heavyarms made its descent, Heero glimpsed the other four suits, including his own, lined up like sentinels around the buildings.

At least what was left of them.

There had only been the three blasts, but they had been enough to take out sizeable chunks of the hotel and conference center where the ESUN summit was to have taken place. From what the team could gather, the bombs hadn't been the crude, homemade explosives usually favored by terrorist factions, but rather sophisticated devices, designed to have maximum impact. With devastating results.

Anger gripped Heero as he exited Heavyarms and made his way on foot toward the hotel, where the others were waiting for him. They had set up the deserted structure as their command center.

Heero surveyed the rubble as he made his way through it, half-expecting to see more sorrowful remnants of the horror that had occurred there just yesterday. A child's shoe, perhaps, or teddy bear. There were no such items there - if there had been, surely they would have been taken in as evidence - but Heero could see them in his mind's eye. This conference had been for diplomats, so there was no reason to assume any children had been in harm's way, but Heero knew it was still a very likely probability that some had been injured or killed.

It made him think of Ellie, and he felt a squeezing sensation over his heart. Although he'd been experiencing these types of feelings more and more over the past ten years, the flood of emotions he had when thinking of his child were sometimes still new, and strange, to him. He felt a protective surge welling up in his chest. If he hadn't known Ellie was somewhere safe, with Noin as her guardian, he knew he would have lost it by now. The very thought of anyone harming his child was enough to send him into a rage. He understood why Relena felt so passionately about breaking up the trafficking ring, once she learned of its existence.

There was, simply, no greater love than what a parent could have for a child. Or so Heero had come to know. He loved Relena more than he knew was even possible, and she was part of him - but Ellie was his own, a perfect combination of him and Relena. For that reason she was more precious to him than life itself.

Heero wished he knew how much longer this investigation could take, so he could talk to Ellie and give her a timeline of when he and Relena would be able to return to her. The thought made him anxious. He was tempted to pass his work off to someone else, and convince Relena to do the same. They could both take a leave of absence. Family leave. They needed to _leave_ , and be a family.

He doubted he could talk Relena into abandoning her work at such a crucial stage, even if she had been keen on trying to make another baby. Then they would _definitely_ need some time off.

For a brief moment, the possibility disrupted Heero's warring thoughts, and he smiled.

He reached the hotel entrance and his phone had a signal, so he decided to make good on one promise he'd made to Relena. He quickly selected her name and placed the call.

He didn't expect his call to go straight to voicemail, especially since Relena had been so happy about getting her phone back; he figured she'd be attached to the thing, still. But he decided not to let that bother him; she was probably resting, or busy getting back to her hectic workload.

For the first time in a long time, he left her a voice message.

"Hey, baby," he said in low tones. "Just wanted to let you know I got here. This place is like a ghost town." Heero paused and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. It was a little bizarre, emptying his thoughts into Relena's voice mail inbox. He didn't usually just say what he was thinking, especially over the phone. But he was determined to try and communicate better, from now on.

"Anyway. I'm about to meet with the others, including your brother. I'll touch base with you again when I can. I hope you're feeling better." He felt lame, saying all these things, but he wanted her to know he was thinking of her. "I love you," he added before hanging up.

Heero realized that he hadn't said those three words over the phone in a long, long time. He wondered if Relena would pick up on that when she received the message later.

His lips twitched and he turned to enter the building.

* * *

Relena realized Sally was leading them to the women's locker room. Her interest was piqued. She wondered what the plan was for Trowa, though. Sally turned and addressed him.

"Trowa, can you head to the control room? Now that you're all repaired and rested, you can give Agent Okeda your official statement. We'll meet you there later," she added.

"Works for me," Trowa said evenly. He glanced at the locker room door. "What do you plan to do?"

Sally broke into a grin, and jerked a thumb toward Relena. "I'm going to get this lady suited up. She's helping us, now." Relena's heart leapt. She turned to beam at Sally, happy she would have a chance to be productive. Trowa arched a brow.

"Heero might have something to say about that."

Sally waved a dismissive hand. "So what."

"He could very well kill us," Trowa groused.

"What else is new?" Sally rolled her eyes for Relena's benefit. "Anyway, we'll see you on the bridge in a bit." She angled her head toward Relena. "After I get you sorted, I need to go make the rounds in the sick bay. But after you report to Okeda, I'm gonna have him give you and Trowa a task."

"A task?" Relena glanced over to Trowa. "What sort of task?"

Sally's grin broadened. "It's time for another round of interrogations. Normally Wufei would still be going strong, so we have to keep at it in his place. It's tough with less senior agents on board; I'm sure he's _pissed_ he's missing this." Sally seemed to find this amusing.

Trowa frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "Are you so sure that's a good idea, bringing Relena into that?"

Relena planted her hands at her hips and glared up at her so-called friend. "Sometimes, I swear you're worse than Heero."

"I take that as a compliment," Trowa said, nonplussed.

"Relena will do fine," Sally jumped to her defense. "Why _wouldn't_ we send a politician in there? She's a natural." She gave Trowa a playful punch on the arm before pushing open the locker room door. "Now get lost, Barton. Little creepy for you to be hanging around outside the ladies' room..." Sally folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, looking at Trowa pointedly.

His face went red but he didn't offer any further protest. With an eye roll, he turned his heel and walked away.

Relena couldn't help but laugh at his plight as she followed Sally inside. "Poor Trowa..."

Sally led Relena to center of the room, over to a set of lockers. They were alone, save for one woman who had her back turned to them, dressing in an olive and black Preventer's uniform. Sally opened one of the lockers and started pulling out clothes and handing them to Relena.

"These may not be a perfect fit, but they'll do for now," the agent said. "I find I like the fit a little on the looser side, personally. Anyway, give them a try."

The other woman whirled around then, and landed a hard stare on them. Relena was so startled, she took a step backward. It was the younger woman from the gym. Relena quickly took her in. She was on the small side, but curvy. And very pretty, with long, wavy dark hair that Relena instantly envied. The woman would have been even prettier if she hadn't been scowling. Her hazel eyes were red-rimmed, as if she'd been crying.

Relena's heart thrummed loudly as she and the other woman continued to size each other up. For a brief moment, she felt like a deer in headlights.

"Oh, hi, Raquel. Sorry, I didn't see you there." Sally spoke casually, seemingly unaware of the tension between the two other women.

 _Raquel. So that's her name._ Relena had a sudden bitter taste in her mouth.

It was even more painful than Relena had anticipated, coming face to face with a woman - a gorgeous, voluptuous, _younger_ woman - who had been intimate with her husband. Heero had _touched_ her. Relena's mind flooded with images of Heero and Raquel entwined, naked. The thought made her boil inside.

Relena had been on dates with other men over the past few years, including Paul, but she hadn't crossed that physical line with anyone. She couldn't. She'd allowed a few of them to kiss her, but she'd had too many inhibitions to take things any further. She'd never wanted anyone the way she wanted Heero.

Still, she knew it was hypocritical of her to demand celibacy from Heero, after she'd left him willingly. He was a man; he was wired differently. But in the moment, Relena didn't care. A torrent of emotions threatened to overtake her. She wasn't just jealous of Raquel.

She was _insanely_ jealous.

Relena worked to calm her racing heart and steady her breathing, before she would say or do something she might regret.

"What's going on?" Raquel turned questioning eyes to Sally. Her voice was a low, husky alto. _Great._ So she also happened to have a sexy voice. Everything about the woman seemed to ooze sex, at least in Relena's mind.

She wanted to kill her.

But that would not have been fitting of her position. She mentally chided herself and tried to remain calm. She was good at defusing tense situations, keeping her cool all the while. She could not - _would_ not - allow herself to lose control, and give the other woman the satisfaction.

Sally was bringing Raquel up to speed, but Relena had tuned her friend out, keeping her gaze locked on her new rival. She watched as Raquel's expression went from surprised to irritated as she listened to Sally. Relena finally tuned back in when she heard her name.

"It only makes sense to bring Relena on board," Sally was saying, "since she's been actively investigating this for years."

Relena turned to her friend, frowning. "How did you know that?"

"Heero told me, before he left." Sally's eyes twinkled. "I should have known, though. It's all starting to make sense as the pieces come together…"

Raquel's scowl deepened. "And you think Heero would approve of this?"

Relena instantly disliked the way Raquel said _Heero_ , with the proper accent, her silky voice caressing each syllable of his name. It was too familiar. Too intimate. Possessive.

Relena was about to snap that whatever _Heero_ thought was none of _her_ business, but Sally spoke again.

"It's not up to Heero; it's up to me." Sally tipped her head to the side and smiled. "I'm the senior agent on board, so I get to call the shots. Isn't that fun?" She chuckled. "Well, it's fun for me."

Raquel harrumphed and started throwing her things into her locker. Sally and Relena exchanged looks behind her back.

"Anyway, Raquel," Sally continued, "I hope you'll join me in welcoming Relena to the team."

Raquel's shoulders slumped, but she turned and flicked her gaze over to Relena. "All right," she mumbled. "Welcome."

Relena wasn't sure she'd ever heard a less enthusiastic welcome in her life, but she was no stranger to people disliking her due to her politics. This was different, clearly. This was personal. Still, Relena was determined to regain the upper hand.

"It's good to finally meet you, Raquel," she said in her steadiest voice.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot you two haven't been formally introduced." Sally gave a little bow. "My bad. Relena, this is Raquel Morena, one of our newest field agents and communications officer. She joined the force last summer. Raquel, this is-"

"I know who she is," Raquel snapped, fixing her gaze on Sally. "Everyone does."

Sally looked surprised by the outburst. She narrowed her eyes and looked as if she was about to reproach her recruit, but Relena spoke first.

"I know a little about you, too." Relena stared evenly at Raquel, watching as her face turned several colors.

Sally looked wildly at both of them. "Now, wait a minute. You mean-"

"What?" Relena sighed, her irritation building.

"Heero told you?" Sally asked quietly, her eyes pained.

"I'm afraid so," Relena said through clenched teeth. The bitter taste had returned to her mouth. Of course, Sally knew, too. And how many others? Relena felt like a fool.

"Oh, please," Raquel scoffed, eyeing Relena scornfully. "Like you have any right to be upset about any of this. You got the guy; what are you complaining about? You need to get over yourself." She returned her attention to her locker.

Relena clenched her hands into fists. "I dare you to continue speaking to me that way."

Raquel's staccato laughter rang in the locker room. "Really? What, do you think you're still queen or something?" She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "You're being ridiculous."

It took all of Relena's self-control to keep from storming over to Raquel and striking her hard across the face. But Sally shot Relena a warning glance, seemingly reading her mind.

"Raquel," Sally said in a harsh voice. "Relena is technically your boss. And mine. You need to show her some respect. Apologize," she added, even more sternly. "Now."

Raquel squared her shoulders and turned back around to face them both.

"I'm sorry," she said flatly to Sally before sliding her gaze back to Relena. "But I won't take back what I said. You may be my boss, Relena, but I don't have to like you. And, for the record..." She took an aggressive step forward, stopping just short of Relena's face; even though she was several inches shorter than Relena, she tipped her chin up in defiance. Relena sucked in a breath.

"I think you're selfish, and spoiled, and I don't know what he sees in you," Raquel said finally, her lips curling into a sneer. With that, she whirled away, her long hair whipping behind her, and stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door behind her.

Relena swung wild eyes up to Sally. Her friend sighed and wrapped an arm around Relena's shoulders.

"I'm sorry about that. She's a little young, still, and impetuous. I've had a bit of an issue trying to get her to rein in her temper, in the past. I'm sorry you had to deal with that." Sally let out a low exhale, her own shoulders sagging. "I'm going to have to reprimand her later."

Relena didn't know why, but she felt defeated. She sighed and shook her head, trying to force the ugly confrontation from her mind.

"That's all right. I brought this upon myself."

Sally squeezed her shoulders. "That's not true. Raquel's a good agent, but she can be kind of a bitch." Relena laughed in spite of herself. "And had I known about her involvement with Heero sooner, I would have tried to put a stop to it," Sally added. "Or, at the very least, discouraged it. I only _just_ found out, myself."

"I'm not sure there was anything you could have done. And, anyway, it's over now. That's why she's lashing out," Relena explained. Sally's eyes widened.

"So Heero broke it off?"

"Yes. That's what he told me, and I trust him."

"Good for him." Sally gave Relena another squeeze before releasing her. "Does this mean you two are all patched up, then?"

Relena finally allowed herself to smile. "Seems so."

Sally grinned at her. "So when's the wedding?"

Relena barked a laugh. "What wedding? I'm not doing _that_ all over again."

"Why the hell not?! You of all people would relish the excuse to get all dressed up again," Sally teased. "Tell Heero he's put you through enough. At the very least, he owes you another wedding."

"Oh, I don't know," Relena said warily. "Of course, I love Heero, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with him. But I'm not so sure I want to be _married_ to him again."

Sally's brows shot up. "Seriously?"

Relena shrugged and splayed her hands. "Too much drama."

Sally tossed her head back and roared with laughter.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, well, well... speaking of weddings, mine is less than a week away, now! At this time next week, I should be enjoying my post-wedding brunch! Mimosas all around! But it looks like there won't be a wedding in this story... or will there? Think Relena meant what she said? What would Heero have to say about that? Too much drama, or not enough? Don't worry... there is plenty more to come. ;)_

 _Thank you all so much for helping me top 300 reviews - unbelievable! - and for sticking with this story over the past few months. I wish I had the time right now to respond to each and every one of you, but we will have to catch up after the wedding! Hope you all have a lovely week, and enjoy your Sunday Funday!_

 _Love, love, love!_

 _\- RFP_


	30. Coming Up Empty

Quatre was waiting for Heero in the hotel lobby, where the rest of the team had set up their temporary command center. The blond man's business suit was dusty and disheveled, as if he had been wearing the same clothes for the past 24 hours. Despite his obvious weariness, he smiled as he greeted Heero.

The two men caught up with one another as they strode through the lobby, down a hallway toward a large conference room on the first floor. Much of what Quatre had to say, Heero already knew from talking to Une, Duo and the others. Unfortunately, there wasn't much new to report.

Heero wanted to probe Quatre on what he had learned from Relena - about her working with Quatre, and Trowa, and this strange guy named Paul - and find out what, exactly, Quatre knew. Because if Relena had even considered marrying this other man, for whatever reason, Heero felt he deserved to know the full story.

And Heero, being Heero, broached the subject the best way he knew how.

"So what's the deal with Paul?"

"Paul?" Quatre's brows went up along with his voice. "You mean Paul Montgomery?"

"Yeah, that guy," Heero muttered as they walked along. "Relena told me she was… involved with him." He looked askance at Quatre. "But you've been working with him as well?"

"Very little," Quatre said quickly. "Mostly online. I assisted Relena and Trowa with this… project as much as I could." He frowned in Heero's direction. "How did you find out about it?"

"Apparently I wasn't supposed to," Heero answered with a slight smirk. "Relena told me."

"Ah," said Quatre, his cheeks turning pink. "I don't think she ever wanted to keep it a secret from you, Heero, it was just… sensitive. But I-"

"It's fine," Heero cut him off. "We were separated; we weren't really talking about anything, unless it pertained to our daughter. Anyway, I want to know what you think of this guy Paul." Heero frowned. "Should I trust him?"

"I don't see why not," Quatre responded. "I've never had any issues while working with him. Although, again, I only did remotely. That is-" They came to a stop outside a large set of swinging doors. "Until today…"

Heero could feel his skin prickle. "So he's here?"

Quatre nodded toward the doors. "Yes. Inside."

Heero's frown deepened. "Hn…"

"Listen, it'll be fine," Quatre said, his voice and eyes insistent. "He's extremely knowledgeable, and has been very helpful during this entire investigation." He forced a smile. "I'm sure you two will get along just fine. The situation with Relena was… not exactly what it seemed."

Heero didn't respond to that, just stared at Quatre unblinkingly for a moment. Until Quatre's eyes went round.

"Wait a minute, Heero… did you say _were_ separated? So does that mean you and Relena are back together?"

Heero just gave a curt nod.

Quatre's mouth formed a perfect "o."

"That bad?" Heero asked with a frown.

"No, it's great! It's wonderful, actually!" All of a sudden Quatre was a little _too_ cheerful, in Heero's mind. "I'm really happy for you both… I guess we should've all seen it coming, after you rescued her and all." He beamed a smile at Heero before his face faltered. "I just-"

"Just what?"

But the double doors swung open before Quatre could answer. A tall, thin man, who appeared to be in his early to mid-forties, with an unruly shock of sandy blond hair, emerged. He wore a tweedy suit that was in a similar state as Quatre's, with a pair of black glasses perched on his nose. He had the look of a harried college professor.

"Quatre, we-" His clipped British accent stopped mid-sentence as he took in Heero. "Oh! Pardon me for interrupting…" The man let the doors swing shut behind him as he held out a hand to Heero. "My name is Paul. You must be Heero Yuy."

Heero's brows shot up, just for a second. He swung his eyes over to a sheepish-looking Quatre. "Yeah, that's me." Heero realized he was a beat late in accepting Paul's handshake. Before he could remedy the situation, Paul dropped his hand, then somewhat awkwardly shoved both of his hands into his blazer pockets.

"Erm, well, it's nice to finally meet you." Paul's face broke into a grin, much to Heero's surprise. "I suppose it was high time we did, given the circumstances..."

Heero glanced warily to Quatre again, but his friend's face was impassive. "Yeah, I guess," Heero answered Paul with a shrug. He was hoping to get the awkward exchange over with, so they could move on to business. There were plenty of more important things at stake, and exchanging niceties with the man Relena had been spending so much time with over the past year was, frankly, the last thing on Heero's to-do list.

Paul released a nervous chuckle, removing one of his hands from his jacket to rake it through his messy flop of hair. "I mean, considering you're the father of my fiancé's child…"

"Fiancé ?" Heero echoed. That title didn't match up with Relena's version of events… Either Paul was jumping the gun, or Relena had, in fact, accepted his proposal. Beside Heero, Quatre's face colored.

"Oh… oh, my." Paul's eyes widened behind his spectacles. "Oh dear God, I'm so sorry… Relena hasn't told you, has she?" He frowned and tapped his chin. "I could have sworn, she told me she had, just before she got on that shuttle. But, then, a lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours…"

"She did tell me," Heero said flatly, keeping his expression neutral as he assessed the other man. "I just… forgot," he lied. He gave another careless shrug. "It's been a busy day."

Quatre said nothing as Paul nodded. "Ah, understandable. And there's still so much to be done. Well, then, lads…" He gestured to the room behind them. "Shall we?"

Heero and Quatre exchanged another quick glance before following after Paul.

Clearly, Relena and Paul hadn't spoken since she and Heero were... reunited. But what if they had? Heero felt his gut starting to coil. What if Relena hadn't told Paul yet?

And, if not, what was she waiting for?

* * *

Relena sat at the long rectangular table in the small room within the ship's control room, her hands laced in front of her, the sleeves of her new Preventers jacket pushed up to her elbows.

 _Oh, Heero, if only you could see me now…_ It was difficult to keep from smiling or giggling in amusement, but interrogations were no laughing matter.

Relena was giving her first official Preventers assignment her all. Even if the suspects she was charged with interviewing weren't making it easy for her. Alicia and the two air policemen, whose names, Relena learned, were Anders and Griffin, were proving to be about as conversational as brick walls.

Alicia, especially, gave off an iciness that rivaled her pale blue eyes.

"For the last time," she sighed in her seat, sounding almost bored, "I don't know anything about this trafficking ring. This is the first I've heard of it."

Relena glanced to Trowa beside her, hoping he'd be more successful in getting Alicia to crack. He peered at Relena through the corner of his eye before addressing the suspect again.

"So you never met Roy Bennett, AKA 'Aloysius,' or the man calling himself his brother, Aldous?"

Alicia rolled her eyes. "I've already told you, no, about a dozen times." She sighed again, leaned back in her chair, and started picking at her nail beds.

"Well," Relena started with a sigh of her own. "Given your lackadaisical attitude over this whole thing, I'm inclined to believe you're guilty." She gave her new "partner" a smile. "Wouldn't you agree, Agent Gamma?"

"Absolutely, Agent Diamond," Trowa readily agreed. Relena smiled even wider at the use of her new, official codename. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Greek numerals most of the others went by - it just so happened to be her birthstone - which made her like it even better.

"Oh, please." Alicia's eyes seemed permanently glued to the ceiling. "You're not 'Agent' anything," she snapped at Relena. "I know exactly you who you are, Foreign Minister Darlian."

"And you were working with this Aloysius character to take me down, then, weren't you?" Relena beamed a triumphant smile at the other woman.

Alicia's eyes snapped to hers.

"Look," she said testily, "I was coerced, just like the others. We are all ESUN employees, and we were all forced to go along with this whole stupid charade." She let out another laborious sigh.

"And how were you forced, exactly?" Trowa asked. Alicia shot him another icy glare.

"I already _told_ you-"

Trowa cracked his knuckles in front of him. "Again, if you don't mind."

"He threatened to kill all our families," Alicia answered with a shrug. Relena quirked a brow.

"And that didn't scare you?"

"Nope. I don't have a family."

Trowa and Relena exchanged a quick glance. That was all too common among people their age, as many were orphaned during the Eve Wars.

"But you went along with it anyway," Relena surmised, frowning. "Why?"

Alicia laughed drily. "What choice did I have? Then that psychopath would've made an example of me." A dark look passed over her face, and she visibly shuddered. "Like Graham…"

Relena closed her eyes as the gruesome image of Graham's final moments immediately sprang to mind. She forced back the tears that automatically came with the thought, and faced Alicia again. "And yet you didn't show any remorse, or fear, or even grief when he was killed," she said hotly. Alicia winced. "Wasn't he your captain? Your colleague? And therefore your friend? Weren't you the least bit upset that he died?"

"Of _course_ I was!" Alicia shouted, lunging forward in her chair. Trowa held up a hand in warning.

"Careful. We will use force to restrain you, if necessary." His eyes flashed.

Alicia obeyed and returned to her seat. "Of course, I was upset," she said more calmly, even as her voice started to shake. "I was furious."

"Then why didn't you do something?" Relena asked quietly. She watched as a few tears slid down Alicia's cheeks.

"What could I do?" she whispered hoarsely. "Fight him? You saw how huge he was…"

"Trust me, I know," Relena said softly. Her body bore the marks of Bennett's brutality, and she could still remember the feeling of being flung as if she were a ragdoll. Never mind the gunshot wound that still pulsed in protest whenever Relena moved a certain way. She reminded herself that she was due for another round of painkillers soon…

"Look, I'm sorry I don't have any more information." Alicia's tone was tired and defeated. "And I'm sorry if I pissed you off during this whole 'questioning' process. I'm just exhausted, and starving, and I'm sick of being cooped up in here when I've done nothing wrong."

Trowa shook his head to the side. "Unfortunately, you aided and abetted what is being treated as a terrorist act. Coerced or not, you're guilty by association."

Alicia gaped at him. "What about 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

Trowa's eyes gleamed. "Not in this jurisdiction."

Alicia slapped a hand on the desk in front of her. "That's not fair! I want to speak to a lawyer-"

"In due time," Relena cut in. "For now, I'm afraid you're going to have to sit tight." She glanced back over to Trowa. "Unless you have something more to tell us."

Alicia let out a groan. "No, there's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Trowa asked. Alicia gave him a look that indicated she thought him quite stupid.

"Yes, I'm _sure_ ," she snapped.

"I don't think she likes me," Trowa quipped to Relena. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Trowa, not everything revolves around whether or not a woman likes you…"

"It doesn't?" he asked with mock sincerity.

"Enough, _please_ ," Alicia moaned. "Can I go now?"

"Go where? Back to your cell?" Relena motioned around the room with a sweep of her hand. "Isn't it much nicer out here? We might be able to get you some food or something, if you cooperate with us just a little longer."

Alicia looked blankly at her. "I've already told you everything I know."

Relena pursed her lips. "And you're positive you didn't hear anything about a possible base, or Aldous's whereabouts?"

The other woman shook her head vigorously. "Not a bloody thing."

"You didn't overhear anything when Bennett - Aloysius - was talking to him?" Trowa prodded.

"No."

"Nothing that would even suggest a possible location," he plowed on. "A hint. A code of some sort. Anything that sounded even slightly 'off'..."

Alicia pressed her hands to her temples. "I-I can't remember anything like that."

"Think, Alicia," Relena said gently. "It could be anything."

They went on like that for a while, but Alicia was either being tight-lipped or honestly didn't know. Relena still couldn't decide if she could trust her. It was clear they were going to need a lot more time to continue probing. And at least a few more pots of coffee...

After what felt like forever, she and Trowa left the small interrogation room. Agent Okeda had been observing from the one-way mirrored window, and at some point, Sally had joined him. She looked just as defeated as Relena felt.

"Well, that looked like a dead-end," Sally sighed after Okeda led Alicia back to her cell. "We're really coming up empty when it comes to finding any clues on these guys. I hope Heero and the rest of the team are having more luck on their end."

"So do I," Relena murmured. The strain of the day - it felt like _days_ \- was beginning to wear on her. "Any news from Brussels?" she asked Sally hopefully. "Has anyone heard from Une lately?"

"Not for a while," said Sally. "I may have the, uh, communications officer check in with Commander Gold soon, though, if we don't hear anything first."

Relena blanched, remembering who that was.

"Well," she went on, willing herself to think of anything else, "not to keep adding to our growing to-do list, but I wouldn't mind checking in with Une myself; I'd like to try to get another message to Ellie, or Noin…"

Sally gave her a sympathetic nod. "Let's just wait a bit longer before reaching out ourselves, in case they're swamped down there," she said. "But, you know…" Sally's face went flush. "Ah, I know you're not gonna like this idea, but…"

"What is it?" Relena asked warily. Trowa's eyes had drifted to the ceiling, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets as he made to stroll away from the conversation. Relena had a sudden, sick feeling of what Sally was about to suggest, and her friend was right- she didn't like it.

"Our communications officer _could_ connect you to the safe house, without having to contact Une first." Sally winced, as if she expected Relena to lash out at the suggestion. But Relena just stood, very still, and weighed Sally's words. The senior Preventer seemed to take this as her cue to go on. "There's some kind of backdoor channel we can use. It's kind of Raq- er, the officer's specialty…"

"It's okay, Sally; you can say her name," Relena sighed. "It's kind of unavoidable…"

"I don't know about that; I happen to be _very_ good at avoiding women when I want to," Trowa said from the other side of the room, where he'd taken a seat at one of the workstations, his eyes trained on the screen in front of him. "I could give you a few pointers…"

Relena and Sally shared a look. "Shut up, Trowa," they said together.

"Never mind, then," he said with a shrug. "Just trying to help."

Relena sighed and turned back to Sally. "Isn't this something Heero could do?" She spread her hands. "Set up a backdoor, I mean…"

"Sure, if he has the time and the tools, but not with that ancient mobile of his." Sally rolled her eyes derisively. "Can't get him to upgrade if we beg. I suppose he could always use Zero, but he would probably say it's too risky."

"Way too risky," Trowa echoed from his corner.

"Thanks Trowa, that's really helpful," Sally said with obvious sarcasm.

"Oh, God," Relena groaned. "You make it seem like I have no choice…"

"Not true," Sally said quickly. "You could always just wait for Une. I mean, I'm sure it won't be too much longer…"

Relena shook her head. "No… It's been hours since Heero sent his last message, I'm sure. And even longer since either one of us has been able to speak to Ellie." The realization twisted her heart. "I _need_ to talk to my daughter. She needs to hear from one of us, at least, that both of her parents are still okay."

Sally nodded her understanding, but she looked as if she was dreading the inevitable just as much as Relena. "All right, then, I'm going to page Agent Morena," Sally said with some reluctance. "Apologies in advance if she's less than thrilled with the idea, and lets us know it."

"Fuck her," Trowa muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd like to," Sally said sweetly as she reached for the communicator in her pocket.

Trowa grimaced from his station. "Sloppy seconds? No thanks."

"Trowa!" Relena gasped, her face growing hot. He immediately looked sheepish, and tried to backtrack.

"Ah, sorry; that wasn't directed toward you in anyway…"

"Of course it was," Sally snapped. "Not to mention it was sexist. And just plain gross."

Trowa pulled a face. "It wasn't _meant_ to be. Anyway, I am sorry…"

"Please, just drop it." Relena held up a hand. "Do me a favor, and please refrain from referencing my ex-husband's _extracurricular_ activities as much as humanly possible, all right? It's bad enough that I have to come face to face with one of them…"

"He told you there was more than one?" Trowa's brows shot up, as did Sally's.

"Seriously?!" she screeched. "Good _God_ , Yuy…"

Relena dropped her face into both her hands and groaned. " _Ugh_ , you guys, I am _so sick_ of talking about this…"

Just then the metal door behind the women blinked and whirred before it slid open. And the topic of the conversation waltzed on through.

Relena removed her hands from her face just in time to see Raquel's disapproving glare. The two women maintained uncomfortable eye contact for a beat before Raquel turned abruptly to face Sally.

"Well. You paged me?"

* * *

 _A/N: I'M BAAAACK. Wait, I already said this in, like, every other update I've posted on here. OH, WELL. HI GUYS!_

 _Sorry it's taken me so long to post an update of this, but I want all of you loyal readers to know how much I appreciated seeing your reviews and PMs while I was away! I missed all of you! Thank you for sticking around to see this story through! I confess it's taken me a while to get back into this "world" since I stepped out of it for months, but I'm slowly easing back in. It's crazy how much whatever you were planning to write before just flies out the window when you sit down to write something again after stepping away for a while... That means I have pretty much scrapped the rough outline I had in mind for this story... in fact, if you saw my original notes, you'd probably be shocked to see how much the final version has evolved! Basically, I decided to just keep writing and let the characters take this and run with it, and that's what it is going to continue to happen until I think we've reached the finish line. Sound good?!_

 _I hope you enjoyed this update! Much more to come!_

 _And it's still Sunday Funday! Yasssssss :D Let's call this a soothing balm for the Sunday scaries ;)_

 _Have a great night/day, wherever you are!_

 _\- RFP_


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